negated unit of computing — No more NUC: Intels weirdly named mini PCs seem to be going away Intel has exited several side-businesses as it tries to stop losing money.

Andrew Cunningham – Jul 11, 2023 8:51 pm UTC Enlarge / A stack of Intel’s NUC mini PCs.Andrew Cunningham reader comments 110 with

Since 2012, Intel has designed and sold its own lineup of mini PCs. The Next Unit of Computing series (NUCrhymes with yuckwas always a weird name) was always most closely associated with Mac mini-like desktops, but over the years, it grew to encompass compact workstations and gaming systems as well as mini servers with multiple Ethernet ports.

But Intel is apparently throwing in the towel on the NUC, according to a statement given to The Verge earlier today.

Intel spokesperson Mark Walton said that Intel had “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 statement leaves some wiggle roomIntel could still work with partners to bring NUCs or NUC-like products to marketbut it seems like the days of Intel designing its own desktop computers are over.

Walton also said that Intel planned to continue “ongoing support for NUC products currently in the market,” so it sounds like owners of current NUC systems should still be able to get driver and BIOS updates and warranty support for the foreseeable future. Further ReadingUltrabook: Intels $300 million plan to beat Apple at its own game

The first NUC, based on a third-generation Intel Core chip using the Ivy Bridge architecture, came out as Intel was leaning hard into its then-new “ultrabook” initiative. A response to Apple’s MacBook Air, Intel gave PC companies part of a $300 million fund to develop new laptops that combined low-voltage (but relatively high-performance) processors, fast solid-state storage, and thin-and-light designs not weighed down by legacy parts like built-in DVD drives. Twelve years later, you still see the ultrabook designation tossed around a bit, but MacBook Air-style laptops have so thoroughly taken over the portable PC market that an “ultrabook” and a “normal laptop” are more or less indistinguishable in most cases. Advertisement

The NUC was an effort to bring the speed, size, and low power usage of an ultrabook into the desktop realm, replacing boxy, ugly office desktops with something you could hold in the palm of your hand. NUC-style mini PCs didn’t take over the desktop market in the same way that ultrabooks came to dominate the laptop market, but the NUC is still survived by a large ecosystem of similarly tiny PCs, many of which are ultimately cheaper and easier to buy than most NUCs were. Models include but are not limited to Dell’s Optiplex Micro, Lenovo’s ThinkCentre Tiny, HP’s ProDesk and EliteDesk Mini systems, Gigabyte’s Brix systems, a number of models from PC motherboard makers like Asus and ASRock, and Apple’s Mac mini and Mac Studio.

The end of the NUC is due at least in part to Intel’s recent financial strugglesthe company has had a few rough quarters since the end of the pandemic-era PC boom, losing billions of dollars as its consumer, workstation, and server businesses all falter. The company has already instituted layoffs and cut executive pay in response, and it announced plans to sell its pre-built server business in April.

Although Intel is still investing in a few product lines that aren’t processorsthe company has said it’s still committed to its nascent GPU businessCEO Pat Gelsinger is betting the company’s future on his “IDM 2.0” strategy, in which Intel offers its chip manufacturing facilities to third-party chip designers. This will put Intel in competition with the likes of Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), Samsung, and GlobalFoundries. reader comments 110 with Andrew Cunningham Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Next story → Related Stories Today on Ars