ASUS is equipping its NUC 14 Pro mini-PC with a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of reaching 48 trillion operations per second (TOPS). The new model, the ASUS NUC Pro AI, will be powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor. With a height of just 1.3 inches, this mini-PC can be carried anywhere and won’t get in the way. Most of the features, such as ports and internal components, are the same as its predecessor.
To prevent overheating, ASUS has installed several advanced thermal management solutions designed for the miniature size of the computer. Other features include secure boot, built-in speakers and microphones with voice command support. For added security, there is a fingerprint scanner and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). The latter is designed to further protect the PC using cryptography. Updating the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI does not require any special tools, and you can manage the mini-PC using the ASUS Control Center.
This mini PC may be convenient, but it’s unlikely to run AAA games on high settings. Fortunately, ASUS has several NUC PCs that are capable of playing games.
The release date of the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is not yet known, but its announcement will come less than a year after the first NUC from ASUS that we saw at CES 2024.
Update, May 8, 2025, 12:40 p.m. ET: More than six months after this story was first published on September 4, 2024, ASUS contacted Engadget and asked that we remove the reference to this product meeting EPEAT’s Climate+ energy efficiency standards. The company has confirmed that this was an error on its part; it has applied and is in the process of obtaining certification, but it has not yet been confirmed.
