SHANGHAI, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The era of the NAS as a passive file vault is ending. As local AI, self-hosted services, and edge computing move into the home, what users need is not more storage but more compute, with storage built in. IceWhale Technology announced the ZimaCube 2, a self-hosting platform powered by Intel 12th Gen Core processors, dual open PCIe expansion, Thunderbolt 4, and ZimaOS. Three configurations are available: Standard, Pro, and Creator Pack.
"The NAS industry is splitting into two paths: closed ecosystems that sell you subscriptions, or open platforms that let you own everything. We chose open. ZimaCube 2 ships with unlocked PCIe slots, community-driven software, and enough compute to run local AI, because the next decade of NAS is about what your hardware can do, not just what it can store," said Lauren Pan, CEO of IceWhale.
Powered by ZimaOS: Self-Hosting Without the Sysadmin Tax
ZimaCube 2 ships with ZimaOS pre-installed, a Docker-native OS refined through over 4 million downloads. Users get a visual app store with one-click deployment for Plex, Jellyfin, Immich, Nextcloud, Home Assistant, and 800+ more. ZimaOS also mounts existing NAS volumes, cloud drives, and USB disks into one unified file manager, so users can bring scattered data home without migrating everything at once. TrueNAS, Proxmox, Unraid, Ubuntu, and Windows are also supported on the same x86 hardware.
Open Expansion: Inside and Out
Where many NAS vendors lock down PCIe or solder in fixed accelerators, ZimaCube 2 leaves both slots open: 1x PCIe 4.0 (x16, 4-lane) and 1x PCIe 3.0 (x8, 2-lane) for a GPU, transcoder, 25GbE NIC, or NVMe expansion card. Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports provide DAS-level direct-connect to a Mac or PC with zero network setup.
Who It's For
ZimaCube 2 is built for homelab enthusiasts consolidating single-purpose devices into one always-on system, creators who need 10 GbE and GPU-ready expansion, and privacy-conscious households who want data stored on hardware they own. No cloud account, no monthly fee.
Hardware Tuned for Storage and Self-Hosting
Intel 12th Gen Core processors pair Performance cores for burst compute with Efficiency cores for always-on background services. DDR5 provides the memory bandwidth multi-service workloads demand. Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, The 6+4 hybrid storage architecture combines 4x M.2 NVMe slots and 6x 3.5" SATA bays in one chassis, over 212TB of raw capacity. Three tiers share this foundation:
ZimaCube 2 ($799) — Intel Core i3-1215U (6 cores, 4.4 GHz), 8 GB DDR5 (expandable to 64 GB), 256 GB NVMe, dual 2.5 GbE. Ready to run a full self-hosting stack out of the box.
ZimaCube 2 Pro ($1,299) — Intel Core i5-1235U (10 cores, 12 threads, 4.4 GHz), 16 GB DDR5 (expandable to 64 GB), 4x M.2 NVMe at 3,200 MB/s, onboard 10 GbE. The sweet spot for self-hosting at scale.
ZimaCube 2 Creator Pack ($2,499) — Same i5 platform maxed to 64 GB DDR5, 1 TB NVMe, plus NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 pre-installed. A complete local AI and media workstation, ready on first boot.
ZimaCube 2 is available now at shop.zimaspace.com.
https://shop.zimaspace.com/
About IceWhale / Zima
IceWhale builds open hardware and community-driven software to help every household own its own NAS. The Discord community has grown to 30,000+ members, and ZimaOS has been downloaded over 4 million times. ZimaOS is a private-cloud operating system that consolidates scattered data into one dashboard. ZimaBoard and ZimaBlade are compact home-server platforms for self-hosting at a lower entry point.
CONTACT: pr@icewhale.org
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
IceWhale Technology Launches ZimaCube 2: A Self-Hosting Powerhouse
- Realizing Rising Tech within 'S.T.R.E.A.M,' the Group's mid-to-long-term strategic portfolio conceived and designed by Hankook & Company Group
- Transformed students' creative ideas into high-fidelity prototypes with near-production quality
- Demonstrated 'TSB(Total Solution Business)' capabilities based on integrated development and manufacturing
PASADENA, Calif., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Model Solution Co., Ltd. (CEO Hyung-min Yoo), a global hardware platform company and an affiliate of Hankook & Company Group, announced the successful completion of its collaborative project with ArtCenter College of Design ("ArtCenter"), one of the world's leading design schools in the United States, and unveiled the project outcomes.
Model Solution is the Hankook & Company Group affiliate dedicated to Rising Tech within 'S.T.R.E.A.M,' the Group's mid-to-long-term strategic portfolio.
Founded in 1930, ArtCenter is a design-focused educational institution located in Pasadena, California, and has built a global reputation in the fields of industrial design, product design, and mobility design.
The project was conducted as part of "3D Modeling 3," a Spring 2026 course in ArtCenter's Product Design department, with the goal of transforming students' creative design ideas into high-fidelity prototypes with near-production quality.
Throughout the project, Model Solution supported CAD-based design reviews, CMF (Color, Material, Finish) implementation, and DFM (Design for Manufacturing)-based manufacturability reviews. Through this, the company demonstrated in detail how design concepts are actually realized in the product development process.
Among a wide range of ideas, a portable DJ controller 'DJ Deck', a future-oriented autonomous shopping cart 'Grocery Cart', and a last-mile delivery e-bike 'E-Bike' were ultimately selected. Each went beyond a simple concept model and was produced as a prototype with production-like appearance and finish quality.
The collaboration reflected Model Solution's 'TSB(Total Solution Business)' approach, which connects customers' early-stage ideas and concepts to design review, engineering, prototype development, tooling, and mass production. Through this, Model Solution demonstrated its strength in turning creative ideas into realistic product outcomes and establishing a structure that can be extended to development and mass production stages.
Beyond design realization, Model Solution provides comprehensive engineering services across all aspects of product development, including mechanical design, circuit design, and software engineering, and has established an integrated development and manufacturing system that can connect working prototypes to mass production. This capability translates into a competitive advantage in providing end-to-end support from the initial idea stage to actual commercialization.
Based on this end-to-end process capability, Model Solution continues to expand its business portfolio into various high-value-added industries, including medical devices. This capability serves as a foundation for expanding collaboration opportunities with diverse customers at the idea stage. This includes startups with limited product development experience or manufacturing infrastructure. The company stands out in its ability to define product implementation directions even from initial concepts alone and connect them to subsequent development and mass production review stages.
Hyung-min Yoo, CEO of Model Solution, said, "This industry-academia collaboration with ArtCenter demonstrates how creative ideas can be transformed into product-level outcomes. Moving forward, Model Solution will continue strengthening its role as a product realization partner by leveraging its total-solution capabilities to connect early-stage concepts with development and mass production."
The completed prototypes will be exhibited at ArtCenter's main exhibition hall starting in May, where they will be presented as the outcomes of this collaboration.
PASADENA, Calif., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Model Solution Co., Ltd. (CEO Hyung-min Yoo), a global hardware platform company and an affiliate of Hankook & Company Group, announced the successful completion of its collaborative project with ArtCenter College of Design ("ArtCenter"), one of the world's leading design schools in the United States, and unveiled the project outcomes.
Model Solution is the Hankook & Company Group affiliate dedicated to Rising Tech within 'S.T.R.E.A.M,' the Group's mid-to-long-term strategic portfolio.
Founded in 1930, ArtCenter is a design-focused educational institution located in Pasadena, California, and has built a global reputation in the fields of industrial design, product design, and mobility design.
The project was conducted as part of "3D Modeling 3," a Spring 2026 course in ArtCenter's Product Design department, with the goal of transforming students' creative design ideas into high-fidelity prototypes with near-production quality.
Throughout the project, Model Solution supported CAD-based design reviews, CMF (Color, Material, Finish) implementation, and DFM (Design for Manufacturing)-based manufacturability reviews. Through this, the company demonstrated in detail how design concepts are actually realized in the product development process.
Among a wide range of ideas, a portable DJ controller 'DJ Deck', a future-oriented autonomous shopping cart 'Grocery Cart', and a last-mile delivery e-bike 'E-Bike' were ultimately selected. Each went beyond a simple concept model and was produced as a prototype with production-like appearance and finish quality.
The collaboration reflected Model Solution's 'TSB(Total Solution Business)' approach, which connects customers' early-stage ideas and concepts to design review, engineering, prototype development, tooling, and mass production. Through this, Model Solution demonstrated its strength in turning creative ideas into realistic product outcomes and establishing a structure that can be extended to development and mass production stages.
Beyond design realization, Model Solution provides comprehensive engineering services across all aspects of product development, including mechanical design, circuit design, and software engineering, and has established an integrated development and manufacturing system that can connect working prototypes to mass production. This capability translates into a competitive advantage in providing end-to-end support from the initial idea stage to actual commercialization.
Based on this end-to-end process capability, Model Solution continues to expand its business portfolio into various high-value-added industries, including medical devices. This capability serves as a foundation for expanding collaboration opportunities with diverse customers at the idea stage. This includes startups with limited product development experience or manufacturing infrastructure. The company stands out in its ability to define product implementation directions even from initial concepts alone and connect them to subsequent development and mass production review stages.
Hyung-min Yoo, CEO of Model Solution, said, "This industry-academia collaboration with ArtCenter demonstrates how creative ideas can be transformed into product-level outcomes. Moving forward, Model Solution will continue strengthening its role as a product realization partner by leveraging its total-solution capabilities to connect early-stage concepts with development and mass production."
The completed prototypes will be exhibited at ArtCenter's main exhibition hall starting in May, where they will be presented as the outcomes of this collaboration.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Model Solution Unveils Next-Generation Design Innovation Results with ArtCenter College of Design
