MSI is introducing the MSI Cubi NUC AI Series. With it, the manufacturer upgrades its NUC series with Intel Lunar Lake processors.
MSI is putting AI into its Cubi NUC mini-desktops, at least in name anyway. The series will henceforth be called MSI Cubi NUC AI. MSI is introducing two device types under that name. First is the Cubi NUC AI+ 2M. With a “+” in the name, you know it’s serious.
The device has a volume of 0.83 liters and contains an Intel Core Ultra processor built on the Lunar Lake platform. In other words, you can configure the Cubi with an Intel Core Ultra 200V processor. Those “V” chips are the only ones in the Intel Core Ultra 200 range with a truly radical new architecture: they are not as powerful and do not support multithreading, but they do have an on-board NPU with computing power from 40 Tops to 48 Tops, depending on the model.
With that chip on board, the Cubi is powerful enough for Microsoft’s Copilot+ functionality.
Why not a laptop?
For some obscure reason, the Cubi has a fingerprint sensor on board, along with a microphone and speaker. The strength of a Cubi NUC is largely that you can put the thing away inconspicuously or mount it at the back of a screen, where such functionality adds little value.
By the way, MSI itself thinks so too: the new Cubis support MSI Power Link, creating additional synergy between the Cubi and MSI displays.
It seems to us that someone expecting a fingerprint sensor, microphone and speakers and portability from their computer might be best off buying a laptop right away. Undoubtedly, there are cousin applications in which the Cubi NUC AI+ 2M does stand out.
Not as much AI
Then there is the Cubi NUC AI 1UM. That one is even smaller with a volume of 0.51 liters. This unit has more AI in the name than in the interior, as here MSI opts for an Intel Cure Ultra-200 CPU built on Arrow Lake. Those chips comprise the bulk of the Intel Core Ultra range, and do have an NPU on board but mostly for form. With a computing power of 11 Tops, the component does not have enough processing power to support even the very modest Copilot+-AI workloads in a relevant way.
The two MSI Cubi NUC AI computers have similar connectivity options. USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 signs present, as do USB-A, HDMI, 2.5G RJ45, and Wifi 7. Price and availability we do not yet know.