Earlier this year, Intel announced that it would no longer manufacture NUC mini PCs. But ASUS quickly swooped in to save the day—it secured a non-exclusive license to continue supporting and creating NUC PCs, effectively marking itself as the new operator of the NUC brand. Now, ASUS has listed a pared-down selection of 13th Gen Intel NUC PCs and kits on its website, and it plans to release new ASUS NUC systems in the near future.
The Intel NUC brand set a new standard for mini PCs. What was once a novelty is now a thriving industry—NUC is the centerpiece of many enterprise and hobbyist systems, as it's a fantastic and compact solution for running a server or fulfilling other complicated tasks. Of course, mini PCs can also stand in for large desktop towers. And many brands, including Beelink, have attempted to mimic the NUC (which is exactly what Intel wanted).
Even ASUS was inspired by the NUC brand. It's spent the last few years building an arsenal of mini PCs, which are very similar to the NUC and geared toward enterprise customers. We're not sure what will happen with these mini PCs now that ASUS is in charge of the NUC brand.
At the time of writing, ASUS' website lists a handful of 13th Gen NUC PCs that were previously sold by Intel. Some even retain their Intel branding. However, ASUS says that it will develop "new ASUS NUC SKUs" with 13th Gen Intel Core CPUs. We should also see new ASUS-branded NUC PCs when Intel's 14th Gen Meteor Lake processors become readily available, likely in late 2023 or early 2024.
Note that ASUS' license to the NUC brand is "non-exclusive." While ASUS is technically responsible for the NUC brand — it even has to handle software support and sales distribution for older NUC PCs — other manufacturers may have the opportunity to release NUC systems in the future. In theory, NUC could become its own market segment, though this depends on how generous Intel is with its license (and the terms of Intel's agreement with ASUS).
You can now find NUC PCs on the ASUS website. These PCs are also readily available through retailers like Amazon, of course.