HP, the global computing giant, has announced its transition into the era of "Edge AI," moving beyond cloud-centric models to accelerate the construction of a hybrid AI ecosystem through collaborations with promising South Korean startups.

Samir Shah, Vice President of Personal Systems Category for HP Greater Asia, visited Seoul to officially launch "Garage 2.0," HP’s open innovation program. Selecting Korea as the second global hub following Singapore, Shah highlighted the strategic value of the nation’s AI software and data analytics capabilities.

"The future of artificial intelligence will be defined by a hybrid model where the cloud and personal devices work in tandem," said Shah. He pointed out that Edge AI—running AI directly on devices—is essential to overcoming current cloud limitations, such as latency in real-time translation, security risks associated with external servers, and high power consumption.

Under the Garage 2.0 initiative, five selected Korean startups will be integrated into HP’s internal workflows to test their proprietary solutions. HP plans to provide comprehensive support, including technical optimization, mentoring, and access to global sales channels, ensuring that innovative Korean software can thrive on HP's AI PC hardware platforms.

HP’s recent performance underscores this shift. The company’s AI PC shipments reached 35% in the first quarter, showing a steady climb from 25% and 30% in previous quarters. "Korea is a highly promising market leading the transition to AI PCs," Shah noted. "Hardware alone no longer provides sufficient value. Our goal is to treat hardware as a platform and design the experiences that live on top of it."