HP and Crusoe Formed Perplexity AI Partnerships

HP will preload the app on new PCs while Crusoe provides infrastructure to support Perplexity's AI model lifecycle.

Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

HP and Crusoe Formed Perplexity AI Partnerships

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On September 15, 2026, HP announced plans to preload the Perplexity Windows app on new computers, starting with the ZBook Ultra G3a. Simultaneously, Crusoe secured a multi-year deal to train and serve Perplexity models using advanced Nvidia GB300 clusters.

Why it matters

These partnerships bolster Perplexity's distribution and technical capacity as the company faces intensifying copyright litigation from major publishers. Seven media organizations, including CNN, have sued the platform for allegedly using proprietary journalism without authorization.

Perplexity reached $750 million in annualized revenue in August 2026. Seven major publishers are currently suing the firm, with CNN alleging the unauthorized use of 17,000 of its stories.

The players

HP is a global technology company that designs and manufactures personal computers, printers, and related accessories.

Crusoe

Crusoe is a technology firm that specializes in providing high-performance computing infrastructure for energy-intensive artificial intelligence models.

Perplexity

Perplexity is an artificial intelligence startup that operates a search engine platform capable of providing synthesized answers to user queries.

Paul Engelmayer

Paul Engelmayer is a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York who is presiding over copyright litigation involving Perplexity.

CNN

CNN is a major news organization that recently joined the list of publishers suing Perplexity over copyright concerns.

The details

Perplexity utilizes web content to generate synthesized query responses, a process now supported by Crusoe's infrastructure which employs racks of 72 Blackwell Ultra GPUs. HP intends to expand the preloading of the software to additional device models throughout the coming months.

October 2024: Dow Jones and the New York Post filed the first copyright lawsuits.
July 31, 2026: Judge Paul Engelmayer denied a motion to dismiss the Reddit copyright suit.
August 2026: Perplexity reached $750 million in annualized revenue.
September 15, 2026: HP and Crusoe announced their respective partnerships.

Market Landscape

These partnerships mark a significant expansion of Perplexity's footprint during a period of heightened legal scrutiny following the Reddit copyright litigation. This maneuver signals the firm's attempt to cement its presence on consumer hardware while securing massive computational power.

Consumers buying new HP hardware, starting with the ZBook Ultra G3a, will see the Perplexity application pre-installed. These changes may influence how users access and synthesize web-based information on their personal computers.

The takeaway

Perplexity continues to scale its commercial distribution and computational infrastructure despite significant legal pushback from the media industry. Users should monitor how copyright rulings impact the accessibility of AI-powered search features on mainstream devices.