HP's 6 Biggest Announcements At Amplify Partner Conference 2024

From new business laptops and mobile workstations with advanced AI capabilities to an expanded Nvidia software partnership and the revamped Workplace Experience Platform, these were the biggest announcements HP made at its Amplify Partner Conference 2024.

HP Inc. doubled down on its commitment to becoming a hybrid work solutions powerhouse and revealed how AI will enrich its capabilities across PCs, printers, peripherals and services at the company’s Amplify Partner Conference last week.

This came through in the new business laptops and mobile workstations HP announced as part of what it called the “industry’s largest” AI PC portfolio, an expanded partnership with Nvidia on integrations for HP’s upcoming AI Studio workstation software, its revamped Workforce Experience Platform (WEX), new Poly Studio solutions for conference rooms, and new AI-focused resources in its Amplify partner program.

“We are using these trends with the change of hybrid and the change of AI to innovate and to create new opportunities, and this is going to be at the core of what HP will be doing,” HP CEO Enrique Lores told CRN in an interview ahead of the event.

What follows are the six biggest announcements HP made at Amplify Partner Conference 2024, which includes an upcoming batch of AI PCs for businesses, the Nvidia partnership around AI Studio and the new AI-powered management features in WEX.

HP Reveals Business Laptops, Workstations In AI PC Portfolio

HP revealed several new business laptops and mobile workstations as part of what it’s calling the “industry’s largest” AI PC portfolio.

They include several HP Elite and HP Pro business laptops, an HP Elite small-form-factor desktop and multiple HP ZBook mobile workstations as part of HP’s new 11th-generation lineup.

The EliteBooks, ProBooks and most of the ZBooks are expected to launch in April while the HP Elite small-form-factor desktop is expected to arrive in August.

The laptops are powered by Intel Core Ultra or next-generation AMD Ryzen Pro processors, both of which feature a CPU, GPU and, for the first time in an HP business laptop, a neural processing unit (NPU) to power a diverse range of AI workloads. The ZBooks also sport an Nvidia RTX GPU to power the “most demanding workflows” for creative professionals.

HP is calling the HP Elite x360 1040 14-inch G11 2-in-1 and HP EliteBook 1040 14-inch G11 notebook in the HP Elite 1000 Series “the world’s most powerful AI business PCs.”

These laptops feature a “super-efficient thermal design,” supported by “two industry-first high-density turbo fans,” to “achieve unprecedented noise reduction and give you more performance,” according to HP executive Cory McElroy.

Also exclusive to the HP Elite 1000 Series are three other AI-enabled features: Battery Health Manager, which manages battery performance; Intelligent Hibernate, which optimizes battery life based on usage; and Instant On+ Auto Lock and Awake, which automatically logs on or locks the computer depending on whether the user is present.

HP Partners With Nvidia On AI Software For Workstations

HP announced that its upcoming Z by HP AI Studio software will get a major boost from Nvidia in the form of integrations with the GPU designer’s cloud services for AI development.

Set to launch in July, AI Studio is an AI workflow collaboration platform that is meant to give AI developers and data scientists the tools they need to collaborate on projects. AI Studio is primarily designed for workstations with Nvidia GPUs, such as HP’s new ZBook lineup.

At the Amplify Partner Conference, HP said AI Studio will integrate with Nvidia’s NGC cloud platform, which provides access to fully managed services such as the NeMo large language model customization service.

Jeri Culp, director of data science and AI solutions at HP, said her company is the first OEM to integrate NGC into a development platform.

“This will provide easy access to data and pre-trained models for our customers’ workflows as well as access to libraries to accelerate their training and time to value with Nvidia GPUs,” she said.

As a result, developers can use AI Studio to “find and use curated models and data,” but they can also use the platform to scale AI model development into the cloud when a single workstation’s processing power will no longer suffice, according to Culp.

HP Reveals New Conferencing Room Solutions, Headsets And Other Peripherals

HP revealed new solutions that are part of what it’s calling the “industry’s broadest portfolio of certified conferencing room solutions and headsets.”

These solutions included the Poly Studio E360 Center-of-Table Camera, which is designed to work in tandem with a front-of-room camera in small to large meeting rooms to give “participants confidence that they are being seen clearly, capturing everyone in the room regardless of where they're seated,” according to the company.

HP also announced the Poly Studio E60 Camera, which brings a “powerful 12x optical zoom and 4K sensors” to ensure every participant is captured with high-quality picture, HP said. The camera also comes with a presenter-tracking feature.

The new Poly Studio V52 Premium Video Bar, on the other hand, is built for mid-sized rooms and comes with the latest Poly DirectorAI smart camera technologies and “unique audio AI features to “eliminate distractions and tackle the challenges posed by glass walls in conference rooms, according to the vendor.

The Poly Studio V52 and Poly Studio E60 are expected to launch in April and March for $2,999 and $1,699, respectively, while the Poly Studio E360 is expected to come in late 2024.

In addition to the Poly solutions, HP announced the HP Series 7 Pro Monitors, which it said 7is the “world’s most advanced conferencing monitor series crafted for creators and modern leaders seeking to personalize their work style.” The series includes 25- and 34-inch monitors that come with an “integrated AI privacy webcam.”

The company announced new keyboards and mice too, including the HP 685 Comfort Dual-Mode Keyboard and the HP 685 Comfort Dual-Mode Mouse.

HP Amplify Gets AI MasterClass Program, Other Changes

HP said it plans to launch a new AI training and certification program for channel partners, and it has teamed up with Nvidia to develop the initial courses.

Called Future Ready AI MasterClass, the program is powered by PC and print giant’s HP University, and it will cover a “range of topics designed to equip partners with the knowledge they need to educate and advise customers on the right AI products and solutions to meet their needs,” according to the company.

The AI MasterClass program is one of the few enhancements HP announced for its Amplify partner program at the Amplify Partner Conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The other changes include the introduction of Amplify Growth Plays for areas like AI data science and digital services as well as a “simplified” membership architecture.

In an interview with CRN, HP Global Channel Chief Kobi Elbaz (pictured) called AI MasterClass a “first-in-the-industry” program that will feature training courses and certifications tailored for specific roles in a channel partner’s organization, whether they’re technical- or sales-oriented.

While HP is initially developing courses and certifications in partnership with Nvidia, the company plans to create additional programming with other alliance partners in the future.

Announced last fall, Amplify Growth Plays is a new program built around the company’s strategic growth areas that will provide unique tools, market development funds, other kinds of resources and compensation to partners who invest in certain categories.

HP said that Growth Plays will launch in May with four focus areas: AI data science, digital services, video collaboration and active care services.

According to Elbaz, a key element of the program is for HP and participating partners to make joint investments to bring products and services in these growth areas to market.

In an effort to simplify the “Amplify partner membership architecture,” the company said it plans to merge the Power and Power Services tiers starting in May.

As a result, the program will have only two tiers. The first tier, Synergy, “is built for all partners and offers base compensation, sales training, and specific portfolio benefits designed for specialization.” The second, Power, is built for partners who receive additional benefits in exchange for collaborating with HP and making additional investments.

This, in turn, means HP will move existing Power Services partners, who are focused on managed services delivery, into the Power tier, but those partners won’t lose any specific benefits tied to their services capabilities, Elbaz said.

HP is also introducing new distinctions for partners in Power tier: Power Elite and Global Power Elite, which recognizes those who “operate on a large scale and deliver significant revenue and capabilities,” according to the company.

In addition to the changes to the Power tier, HP is simplifying the Synergy tier so that any partner in that track can access the company’s entire portfolio, including all of its services.

HP’s Workforce Central Gets Rebrand, New AI Capabilities

HP announced that its nascent Workforce Central fleet management platform has been rebranded as WEX, short for Workplace Experience Platform.

The vendor said WEX expands upon the platform’s capabilities of discovering, monitoring and managing HP devices in one location with a slew of new features, including AI-powered recommendations for when to upgrade devices.

These recommendations are persona-based AI models that can learn an individual’s technology needs based on personal usage patterns and requirements.

Another capability coming to WEX is “seamless integration with existing multi-OS and multi-vendor environments,” which will allow the platform to monitor devices “across a broad range of operations systems and devices, regardless of brand, according to HP. These devices include PCs, peripherals, printers and videoconferencing equipment.

The vendor also announced that it recently joined Microsoft’s Copilot for Security private partner preview program and plans to “integrate WEX with Copilot to automate tasks and help maximize device uptime for employees.”

In addition, WEX is getting a streamlined way of measuring how satisfied employees are with their digital setups through turnkey pulse surveys.

HP made other announcements for its Workforce Solutions business. These consisted of new Device Life Extension Service, a new Partner Certified Refurbishment program, new managed device services, enhanced managed print services, a new managed print services subscription, new sales toolkits, and simplified services offerings.

HP Announces Color LaserJet Pro 3000 Printers For SMBs

HP announced the new Color LaserJet Pro 3000 series of printers for small- and medium-sized businesses looking for “high performance in a small footprint.”

The A3 and A4 printers are powered by HP’s energy-efficient TerraJet toner technology, which the company said enables “11 percent more vivid colors and 18 percent faster printer speeds” compared to the previous Color LaserJet Pro generation.

TerraJet also reduces energy consumption by up to 27 percent and the use of plastics in toner cartridges by up to 28 percent, HP said.

According to the vendor, the Color LaserJet Pro 3000 series comes with “increased reliability,” thanks to improved Wi-Fi connectivity that allows the printers to automatically reconnect to a wireless network when they go offline.

The series also has the “fastest duplex and first page out in class” as well as “industry-leading quality and pro-level security” and the “smallest footprint of any device in its class.”

The Color LaserJet Pro 3000 series is expected to become available starting in May.