ASUS has introduced its most powerful NUC device yet, we found it at the Pepcom event last night. We only managed to catch a glimpse, but it was enough to see what ASUS has in store for the coming weeks. Named the NUC 16 Pro, the device is powered by Intel's latest "Panther Lake" processor, featuring the high-end Core Ultra X9 Series 3 processor paired with the Intel Arc B390 GPU . The system delivers 180 TOPS of INT8 AI performance, and ASUS targets developers and gamers with the powerful NPU and IGPU. The company has upgraded the memory and storage, moving to LPDDR5x for increased speed and significantly reduced power consumption. Since the top-end Core Ultra X9 388H SKU supports high-speed LPDDR5X-9600 memory, we assume ASUS has equipped this slim chassis with the highest-rated modules.

The device provides space for two NVMe drives and video outputs that can support four 4K panels simultaneously. All of this is housed in a 144x117x42 mm chassis that includes a dual-fan cooling solution to maintain performance under load. On the connectivity and service front, the NUC 16 Pro is designed with professionals in mind. It features two Ethernet ports, along with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0. ASUS emphasizes practical design with a Toolless 2.0 chassis for easy upgrades and maintenance, and MIL-STD 810H testing indicates the system is built to endure tougher conditions than a typical mini PC. The software includes ASUS's own AI suite, although the company has not yet detailed which specific workflows or optimizations will be available. Below is the upscaled image (in case you notice any artifacts), but the product specification has been taken directly from ASUS's placeholder.