Inside ASUS’s Vision For The Future Of Compact Computing

What if desktop performance came in a box the size of your hand? That is the idea behind the NUC. Two years after ASUS took over the product line from Intel, the company is building on that legacy with compact, AI-ready PCs. In this interview, Nate Snow, senior director of business development at ASUS, explains how the portfolio has evolved and what partners can expect next.

Sydney: Since taking over the NUC portfolio from Intel, how has the company shaped the product line and guided its direction?

Nate: NUC stands for Next Unit of Compute. At Intel, the focus was on fitting the most performance into an ultra-small form factor. ASUS, with its search for incredible, continues that legacy, but we have shifted toward how much AI experience we can put into these small boxes.

ASUS was the first to launch the NUC 14 Pro AI, a Copilot plus capable PC in a very small form factor. We expanded the lineup this year with the NUC 15 Pro and the Ascent GX10, which delivers a petaflop of performance in a system that is smaller than a shoebox.

Sydney: These systems may be small, but they go through serious performance and durability testing. What are some of the ways your team makes sure they are built to last?

Nate: Our customers need products they can depend on, so we put our NUCs through a wide range of rigorous tests in challenging environments. We want real world results. Some partners rely on calculated tests, but we want to see how the hardware behaves in true conditions.

Our field failure rate is less than 1 percent, which is industry leading. We have seen customers try alternative NUC like systems, but they return to ASUS NUC because of the quality and reliability.

We also test and certify software, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu and Windows, so customers can deploy and develop solutions quickly and know everything works out of the box.

Sydney: Reliability also matters when it comes to how these systems are delivered. You work with distributors, resellers and system integrators. How are you supporting partners and making it easier to bring NUCs to customers?

Nate: We believe the channel is one of the most important ways for us to reach the market. ASUS has supported this ecosystem for years in motherboards, graphics cards and monitors, and the NUC business is part of that commitment.

We want to give customers flexibility to configure what they need in real time. For example, we worked with TD SYNNEX to create an online configurator that lets customers choose memory, storage, operating system and quantity. They can check pricing, place an order and receive units within a few days.

Through this and similar efforts, we have built a network of more than five thousand partners worldwide. Local resellers and system integrators know their markets and customers better than anyone, and we want to support their success.

Sydney: Looking at the lineup itself, what are some of the latest additions? From the 15 Pro to the Pro Plus, what stands out and what can we expect next?

Nate: Earlier this year, we launched the NUC 15 Pro. It is a stable AI platform designed for edge video surveillance or light AI workloads. The NUC 15 Performance, which we are rolling out now, adds discrete graphics. This gives us workstation level performance in a two-and-a-half-liter system.

The newest system is the Ascent GX10. It delivers a petaflop of AI performance, which supports local modeling, inference and software development in a system smaller than a mouse pad.

Looking ahead to 2026, we expect continued innovation that brings hardware and software together. We want to provide partners with AI tools and capabilities that help accelerate the development and deployment of complete AI solutions at the edge or on the desktop.

For more on the ASUS NUC portfolio and how these compact, powerful systems can support your business needs, visit asus.com/us/content/ai-nuc/.