Asus has introduced a new addition to its NUC 14 family of compact PCs: the NUC 14 Pro AI. Powered by Intel’s cutting-edge Lunar Lake processors, this model is specifically designed for tasks involving artificial intelligence, bringing enhanced performance to AI-heavy workloads.
For those unfamiliar, Intel handed over the NUC (Next Unit of Compute) brand to Asus last year. Since then, Asus has been actively expanding the NUC portfolio, recently releasing the NUC 14 Performance and NUC 14 ROG models. These systems cater to both work and gaming environments, boasting discrete GeForce RTX 40-series graphics. While some NUC systems may not always outperform similarly priced laptops, they remain popular for users needing compact desktop solutions or all-in-one setups for business or entertainment purposes.
With the NUC 14 Pro AI’s announcement, the current Asus NUC 14 lineup now includes:
- ROG NUC: Core Ultra 9 185H (Meteor Lake) and GeForce RTX 4060 or RTX 4070.
- NUC 14 Performance: Core Ultra 9 185H (Meteor Lake) with similar graphics options.
- NUC 14 Pro+: Core Ultra 9 185H (Meteor Lake).
- NUC 14 Pro: Core Ultra 165H (Meteor Lake).
- NUC 14 Pro AI: Powered by the Core Ultra 200V (Lunar Lake).
The NUC 14 Pro AI continues with the familiar compact 4×4-inch design but with more rounded edges this time. One of the key features of the Lunar Lake processors in this model is the built-in RAM, which eliminates the need for SO-DIMM memory slots. This design innovation saves valuable space within the small chassis, although it means users won’t be able to upgrade the memory later.
In terms of connectivity, the NUC 14 Pro AI offers two USB Type-A ports and a Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) port. An added bonus is a dedicated button to launch Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant, making it easy for users to access AI features quickly—especially in desktop environments. This isn’t the first device with such a button, as Minisforum’s Meteor Lake-based nettops also feature this functionality, but the Core Ultra 200V chips in the NUC 14 Pro AI fully meet Microsoft’s Copilot Plus ecosystem requirements.
While Asus has yet to reveal pricing for the NUC 14 Pro AI, its inclusion in the NUC lineup signals the company’s growing focus on AI-enhanced computing.