Just over ten years after starting to manufacture NUC minicomputers (Next Unit of Compute), Intel has decided to stop manufacturing them and pass the baton of its manufacture to external suppliers. Eleven years after its creation, Intel has closed the division in charge of its production, although its stoppage will not be immediate, since it has to meet several commitments. It will also continue to provide technical support to its NUC owners.
With this measure, Intel definitively abandons the manufacture of computers and changes its strategy with respect to NUCs. From now on, instead of manufacturing them directly, the company will focus on supporting its manufacturing partners of this type of PC.
The reason why Intel has decided to stop manufacturing its own NUCs directly is unknown. But there is no doubt that a good part of the reasons are related to the current weakness of the computer sales market. Also with the weakness of the economy throughout the world, which has as one of its consequences the drop in the sale of equipment.
In addition, we must not lose sight of the fact that Intel’s revenues in the last two quarters have fallen significantly. This drop has notably affected several of its divisions, among which is Client Computing, due to its focus on the PC sector.
Despite the good reception of this equipment in the market, stopping manufacturing means for Intel, which already transferred its server division to Mitac a few months ago, abandoning one of the non-essential areas in which it works. So you can focus on the ones that are most important to them: those directly related to chip manufacturing.
As you remember in Muycomputer, Intel launched its first NUC on the market in 2013. It was a small and basic PC, designed to show both the latest in processors and the possibilities that desktop computers could offer with a small format.
Over time, NUCs have evolved into full-fledged systems with solid performance, and in recent times models have appeared that even feature their own dedicated GPU. Many may see them as PCs for use in home environments, but they also have their fans in the business world. In fact, they are highly appreciated in environments where size is crucial to be able to install and use a computer.
That does not mean that these teams have achieved success in all areas and sectors. Some are perfectly equipped for games and for other tasks in which it is necessary to use equipment with high performance, it is increasingly difficult to integrate into them the CPUs and GPUs they need to achieve maximum performance in certain environments. Precisely, because of the compact size of their casings.
The competence in the manufacture of NUCs was also growing. On one side is Apple with its Mac Mini, and on the other, PC manufacturers like Dell and Lenovo, which have their own models and offer more flexible configurations, with better support in many cases. Above all, for companies.
