Intel has informed partners that it will stop direct investment in NUC products, relying on them to fill the gap. Shame that, as NUCs are impressive little machines
First, its server business, then Arc A770 Limited Edition graphics cards, and now the NUC range of products is going away as Intel-produced products. Beginning as small-box PCs, NUCs have literally grown to fit all kinds of roles, from media to professional needs. Alas, the journey will end here, at least for Intel-made NUCs.
Intel will continue fulfilling any ongoing commitments, including support for existing products, but counts on partners to further NUC innovations. In other words, the NUC 13 series, based on Raptor Lake and Alder Lake processors, will be the last to hit stores. This probably isn’t the final time we hear something similar from Intel, as the brand continues pulling back non-essential parts of its portfolio.
“We have decided to stop direct investment in the Next Unit of Compute (NUC) Business and pivot our strategy to enable our ecosystem partners to continue NUC innovation and growth. This decision will not impact the remainder of Intel’s Client Computing Group (CCG) or Network and Edge Computing (NEX) businesses. Furthermore, we are working with our partners and customers to ensure a smooth transition and fulfillment of all our current commitments – including ongoing support for NUC products currently in market,” said Intel.
Even if these make little sense for gamers and heavy users – due to comparatively higher prices – they have been excellent for office duties where employees are mainly running one app at a time, be it spreadsheets or specialised software. A side benefit is the gained desk space.
If more power is needed there is always the possibility to hook full-sized graphics cards through Thunderbolt or PCIe slots, like what’s possible with Intel’s NUC 13 Extreme kit.
Fortunately, the Team Blue isn’t the only option in this market segment, with Minisforum, Zotac, and Chuwi offering compelling products.
