The Asus NUC 14 Pro AI is a compact desktop computer with support for up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V "Lunar Lake" processor and support for WiFi 7, 2.5 Gb Ethernet, and Thunderbolt 4.
Asus first added the computer to its website in September when Intel first unveiled the Lunar Lake processor lineup, but now the company has issued a press release officially announcing the NUC 14 Pro AI and revealing a few more details about the upcoming mini PC.
The computer is the latest in a line of NUC-branded devices that Asus has launched since taking over the development, marketing, and support of the NUC lineup from Intel last year.
This model is one of the first mini PCs from any company to feature an Intel Lunar Lake processor with a 48 TOPS NPU and support for Microsoft Copilot+ capabilities. There's even a dedicated Copilot on the front of the computer for quickly launching Microsoft's virtual assistant software, as well as a built-in microphone and speaker for voice interaction.
While I know many users couldn't care less about AI features, the Lunar Lake processor also brings significance boosts in CPU and graphics performance as well as energy efficiency over previous-gen chips like the Intel Meteor Lake and Raptor Lake lineup, which could make this little PC a pretty capable system for use as a media player, light gaming or graphic design work, or general purpose applications.
The NUC 14 Pro AI measures 130 x 130 x 34mm (5.12'' x 5.12'' x 1.34'') and has an internal volume of 0.6 liters. There's a single M.2 2280 slot inside with support for a PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD.
Since Lunar Lake chips also feature on-package LPDDR5x-8533 memory, the RAM is not user upgradeable. But it's low-power, space-saving memory and all systems will have at least 16GB of RAM, while some will support up to 32GB of onboard memory.
Asus says the system will be available with five different processor options:
The system also features support for WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, a fingerprint reader integrated with the power button on the of the computer, and a set of ports that includes:
One nice touch is that all of the USB Type-A ports are labeled with their theoretical top speeds, so you'll be able to see at a glance that the USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports on the front top out at 5 Gbps, while the USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports on the back support up to 10 Gbps.
There are also Thunderbolt logos by the USB-C ports on the front and back, indicating that they're both full-function ports with support for 40 Gbps data transfer speeds and DisplayPort 2.1 Alt Mode for video output.
The system comes with a 120W power adapter and Asus says the NUC 14 Pro AI can be used with up to three displays if you use both Thunderbolt ports and the HDMI port.