Asus, recently awarded Intel partner status to craft Next Unit of Compute (NUC) mini-PCs, is on the brink of offering custom NUCs, heralding a new era in edge computing.
The revelation emerges from a conversation with Asus Senior Vice President Jackie Hsu, who shared insights with The Register regarding the company’s strategy to forge NUCs tailored to the unique needs of consumers and commercial clients.
Asus, a prominent Taiwanese computer manufacturer, has its sights set on industrial clients and cloud service providers looking to power edge deployments with its forthcoming custom NUCs.
This development comes on the heels of Intel’s announcement, about two months ago, that it would be relinquishing its in-house NUC projects to third-party partners. Asus stood out as the first recipient of this partnership recognition from Intel.
Hsu explained to The Register that Asus’s NUC intellectual property (IP) offers the company the freedom to explore the realm of custom NUCs. These customized NUCs will feature distinct I/O configurations, tailored to cater to the diverse requirements of a broader customer base.
Additionally, Asus hinted at exploring alternative form factors that may be better suited for industrial clients. The existing NUCs adhere to a compact 4×4-inch size, but the company envisions shaping new mini-PCs that can accommodate different scenarios.
The applications for these custom NUCs are boundless, ranging from self-service kiosks and point-of-sale (POS) machines to fueling digital signage and optimizing warehouse operations. Furthermore, these mini-PCs have a role to play in edge cloud deployments, where augmented processing power is essential to drive artificial intelligence applications.
Intel had previously acknowledged Asus’s expertise in this market segment, and this new endeavor into edge computing devices is a testament to the company’s commitment to advancing its capabilities.
Asus has already initiated the design process for its first batch of NUC devices. Asus’s NUC General Manager, KW Chao, has hinted at the possibility of these innovative mini-PCs hitting the market by the end of this year or early 2024.
This strategic move by Asus underscores the growing significance of edge computing and the company’s determination to be at the forefront of this transformative technology trend.
