SHANGHAI, China – September 14, 2026 – IceWhale has introduced ZimaCube 2, a personal cloud NAS designed to bring local AI workloads closer to users’ data by combining high-capacity storage, expandable x86 compute, GPU support, high-speed networking and the self-hosted ZimaOS platform in a single system.
As local AI adoption expands across homes, studios and homelabs, users increasingly need computing resources that can work directly with locally stored photos, documents, videos, code and other private data. ZimaCube 2 is designed around this model by bringing storage and compute together in one platform.
A New Role for NAS in Local AI
For years, NAS systems were designed primarily for storage, from centralizing files and protecting them with RAID to streaming media and making data available across a local network. Local AI changes that equation by requiring storage and compute to work more closely together, whether for private AI assistants accessing personal documents, AI-powered photo libraries, local coding tools, or creative workflows involving large volumes of video, images, and project files.
To support these workloads, ZimaCube 2 AI NAS combines six SATA drive bays, four M.2 NVMe slots, Intel 12th Gen Core processors, PCIe expansion, Thunderbolt 4, and ZimaOS in a single system designed for both data storage and application workloads.
Storage and Compute for Local AI
A useful private AI system requires more than GPU compute. It also depends on fast storage for models and application data, sufficient capacity for personal files, memory for running multiple services, high-speed networking, and a software environment that can bring AI applications, storage, and other self-hosted services together. ZimaCube 2 addresses these requirements with a hybrid storage architecture that combines large-capacity SATA storage with NVMe SSDs, allowing users to keep AI models, container data, databases, and active projects on solid-state storage while storing photo libraries, video archives, documents, backups, and other large datasets on higher-capacity drives.
PCIe expansion allows users to add a compatible GPU when additional acceleration is needed for local inference. The ZimaCube 2 Creator Pack includes an NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 and 64 GB of DDR5 memory, combining dedicated GPU compute with the NAS’s storage architecture. This expandable design allows the system to support workloads ranging from file storage and self-hosting to more demanding local AI applications.
Self-Hosted Applications for Local AI
Hardware alone is not enough to make local AI useful. The applications running on top of it determine what users can actually do with their models and data. ZimaOS provides a Docker-based environment for self-hosted applications, making it possible to build local AI stacks around tools such as Ollama, Open WebUI, and AnythingLLM alongside the services already running on the NAS.
This supports practical use cases beyond simply interacting with a locally downloaded model. Personal document libraries can serve as the foundation for private knowledge assistants, while notes and reference materials can be searched and summarized without first being uploaded to a third-party AI platform. Developers can run local models for coding assistance, families can combine private photo storage with AI-assisted organization and search, and creators can keep source files and AI-assisted workflows closer together. The broader goal is not to make every workload AI-powered, but to provide the storage and application environment users need when they choose to add local AI.
Bringing Compute Closer to the Data
ZimaCube 2 is designed to reduce the need to move large datasets between local storage and remote compute. While cloud AI can be convenient for smaller inputs, uploading private photo archives, large document collections, creative projects, or terabytes of video may be slow, costly, impractical, or undesirable for privacy reasons. By keeping compute closer to the data, high-capacity hard drives can store archives, NVMe storage can handle active workloads and application data, and an optional GPU can provide accelerated local processing.
Dual Thunderbolt 4 provides creators with a high-speed direct connection to a workstation, while the Pro and Creator configurations add 10GbE for network-based workflows involving large files and multiple devices. The same system can therefore function as a NAS, application server, media platform, private cloud, and local AI system without requiring users to duplicate data across multiple computers.
An Expandable Personal Cloud Platform
“The real value of local AI comes when it can work with the data people already own,” said Lauren Pan, CEO of IceWhale. “We do not think users should have to choose between a NAS for their data and another machine for local compute. ZimaCube 2 was designed to bring those two worlds together while keeping the platform open to whatever users want to build next.”
Rather than defining the product around a single AI application or model, IceWhale’s approach is to provide an expandable foundation. Users can choose how much storage they need, which applications they want to self-host, which models they want to run, and whether their workloads require dedicated GPU acceleration.
From NAS to Personal AI Infrastructure
The rise of local AI is increasing the value of local storage as users generate larger personal datasets and AI tools become more capable of searching, organizing, summarizing, and processing that data.
ZimaCube 2 reflects this shift from a traditional storage appliance toward personal AI infrastructure, bringing storage, self-hosted applications, and expandable compute together in a single system designed to support both data management and local AI workloads.
Availability
ZimaCube 2 is available in Standard, Pro, and Creator Pack configurations, ranging from personal cloud and self-hosting deployments to higher-performance storage and GPU-accelerated AI and creative workflows.
All three models are built around the same open philosophy: local data ownership, expandable hardware, self-hosted applications, and freedom to choose the software environment that fits the user’s needs.
About IceWhale
IceWhale develops open hardware and software for personal cloud, self-hosting, and home server computing.
Through ZimaCube, ZimaBoard, ZimaBlade, and ZimaOS, the company is building infrastructure that helps individuals and families store their data locally, run their own applications, and retain greater control over the computing environments they depend on.
Zima products are used by creators, developers, homelab enthusiasts, and households building private cloud, media, automation, storage, and local AI systems.
Media ContactCompany Name: IceWhale Technology LimitedContact Person: Queena XuEmail: Send EmailCountry: ChinaWebsite: https://shop.zimaspace.com/
