The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a dedicated high-contrast imaging facility instrument designed for the direct detection and characterization of young Jupiter mass exoplanets. After six years of operation at Gemini South, GPI has helped establish that the occurrence rate of Jovian planets peaks near the snow line (similar to 3 AU), and falls off toward larger separations. This motivates an upgrade of GPI to achieve deeper contrasts, especially at small inner working angles, to extend GPI's operating range to fainter stars, and to broaden its scientific capabilities, all while leveraging its historical success. GPI was packed and shipped from Gemini South in 2022, and is undergoing a major science-driven upgrade as part of a relocation to Gemini North (GN). We present the status and purpose of the upgrades including an EMCCD-based pyramid wavefront sensor, broadband low spectral resolution prisms, new apodized-pupil Lyot coronagraph designs, upgrades of the calibration wavefront sensor and increased queue operability. We discuss the expected performance improvements in the context of GPI 2.0's enhanced science capabilities which are scheduled to be made available at GN in 2024.