Intel signs up Asus as its first NUC builder partner

Intel has announced a new partnership with Asus that will see the Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer become its first Next Unit of Compute (NUC) mini PC builder.

Earlier this month, the chipmaker confirmed that it would be ending “direct investment[s]” into its own NUC projects as it sought to build on third-party partnerships.

But now, Intel and Asus have reached an agreement for the latter to “manufacture, sell and support the Next Unit of Compute (NUC) 10th to 13th generations systems product line.”

Asus crowned Intel’s first NUC partner

In a press release, Intel said that it is “pivoting its strategy to enable ecosystem partners to continue NUC systems product line innovation and growth,” hinting at Asus’s mini PC expertise.

Under the agreement, Asus’s new business unit, Asus NUC BU, will manufacture and sell 10th to 13th Gen NUC systems products as well as develop future designs.

The partnership will see Intel customers receive product and support continuity for their existing Intel NUC systems.

Intel’s latest, 13th Gen NUC mini PCs which became available earlier this year are available with i3, i5, and i7 processors and are designed to run Pro and Home versions of Windows 11 from the box. They use DDR4 RAM and PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs.

Customers can also choose to buy laptops, customizable kits, or just the board itself. Intel said that Asus would now be responsible for the pricing, but Asus did not immediately respond to our request for information on any changes.

We also asked Intel whether it expects to work with any more partners on the production of NUC mini-PCs - the company declined to offer any further information.

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