MSI presents the MSI Cubi NUC AI Series. The manufacturer is thus offering its NUC series an upgrade with Intel Lunar Lake processors.
MSI is putting AI into its Cubi NUC mini desktops, at least in the name. The range will now be called MSI Cubi NUC AI. MSI introduces two types of devices under this name. First up, there’s 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. These “V” chips are the only ones in the Intel Core Ultra 200 range to feature a truly radically new architecture: they are not as powerful and do not support multithreading, but they have an onboard NPU with a powerful calculation from 40 Tops to 48 Tops, depending on the model.
With this chip on board, the Cubi is powerful enough for Microsoft’s Copilot+ feature.
Why not a laptop?
For some obscure reason, the Cubi has a fingerprint sensor, as well as a microphone and a speaker. The strength of a NUC Cubi mainly lies in the fact that you can store it discreetly or install it on the back of a display, where such functionality provides little added value.
-Moreover, MSI thinks so too: the new Cubi support MSI Power Link, thus creating additional synergy between the Cubi and MSI displays.
It seems to us that someone who expects a fingerprint sensor, microphone, speakers, and portability from their computer would be better off buying a laptop now. There are undoubtedly similar applications in which the Cubi NUC AI+ 2M stands out.
Less AI
Then there is the Cubi NUC AI 1UM. It 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 Core Ultra-200 CPU built on Arrow Lake. These chips make up the bulk of the Intel Core Ultra line and incorporate an NPU, but mainly for form. With a computing power of 11 Tops, the component does not have enough processing power to support even the very modest workloads of Copilot+-AI in a meaningful way.
Both MSI Cubi NUC AI computers have similar connectivity options. The USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 signs are present, as are USB-A, HDMI, RJ45 2.5G and Wi-Fi 7. Price and availability we don’t know yet.
