Asus just launched the NUC 14 Pro AI (codenamed Lunar Canyon), its latest addition to the NUC mini-PC lineup that it took over from Intel. As the name suggests, this tiny PC from Asus will feature AI technology, especially as it sports an Intel Core Ultra 200V chip, which sports at least 40 TOPS — the minimum requirement for Copilot+ PCs. Aside from that, the tiny little device also sports a dedicated Copilot button up front, indicating its focus on AI features.
You could spec this tiny little device with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chip, allowing it to have massive potential. However, it replaces the SO-DIMM RAM on the other NUC 14 models with an embedded LPDDR5x memory. While this saves space on the small PC, it also means that you need to get the RAM you need when you order it, as you won’t be able to upgrade. Lunar Canyon may support up to 32GB of LPDDR5X-8533.
Currently, Asus hasn’t released actual specifications or pricing for the NUC 14 Pro AI. Still, the product page suggests using integrated Intel Arc graphics, having M.2 2280 NVMe SSD support, 2.5G Ethernet, Bluetooth 5.4, and Wi-Fi 7. It also has an internal speaker and a microphone that supports voice commands. These are the ports that Asus included on the mini-PC up front: a 3.5mm combo jack, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and a Thunderbolt 4 port. You also get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, another Thunderbolt 4 port, an HDMI port, the 2.5G ethernet jack, and the DC-in port at the back.
Aside from the Snapdragon X Elite Dev Kit, this is likely the first mini-PC, a Copilot+ PC. It is an exciting development, as almost all Copilot+ PCs (or Copilot+ PC-ready devices) launched are laptops. But with the Asus NUC 14 Pro AI, we’re finally getting Microsoft’s AI features on a desktop PC, albeit a pretty small one.
The NUC 14 Pro AI launch finally completes Asus’ NUC 14 lineup. It includes the ROG NUC, which features an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and RTX 4060 or Core Ultra 9 185H and RTX 4070 GPU; the NUC 14 Performance, which has similar specs to the ROG NUC but is focused more on business users; the NUC 14 Pro+ for more budget-minded buyers, and, finally, the NUC 14 Pro AI, for those who want to try the Copilot+ PC experience but don’t want a laptop.
