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- MSI is the latest vendor to jump on the AI PC bandwagon
- The Cubi NUC AI+ 2M is a mini PC with 11 ports and 1 card reader but without TB5
- It comes with a dedicated Copilot button as well as a fingerprint reader
MSI presented two new Cubes mini pc offers to CES 2025and it probably comes as no surprise that these models include AI in their names. Cubi NUC AI+ 2M and Cubi NUC AI 1UM offer in-device AI capabilities and are designed to deliver powerful performance in a compact form factor suitable for any workspace.
The largest Cubi NUC AI+ 2M measures 0.826 liters and is powered by IntelCore Ultra processors from the Lunar Lake platform, with configurations up to the Core Ultra 7 258V. It features integrated Intel Arc 140V graphics and up to 32GB of LPDDR5X on-pack memory. Storage is supported by a single SSD slot M.2 2280. The device can provide up to 115 TOPS of processing power through a dedicated Intel AI Boost NPU.
Cubi NUC AI+ 2M offers a total of 11 ports. Up front, there are two 10 Gbps USB Type-A ports and a microSD card reader, as well as a one-touch fingerprint power button for added security, and a Copilot button for instant access to the AI tools like CoCreator, Windows Studio Effects. , Live Captions, and Live Translation. There is also a built-in microphone and speaker for voice commands.
No Copilot button on the smaller model
The rear panel houses two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one of which supports PD-in up to 100-watt (it’s a shame that MSI has not yet embraced Thunderbolt 5 for even faster data transfer speeds), two HDMI ports and two Ethernet 2.5Gbps. ports The Cubi NUC AI+ 2M can drive up to three screens and supports WiFi 7 for a high-speed wireless connection.
The Cubi NUC AI 1UM is a smaller and presumably more affordable alternative, with a volume of 0.51 liters. It is powered by Intel Core Ultra 100 Meteor Lake processors, including options up to the Core Ultra 7 155H.
It supports dual SODIMM DDR5 memory slots and two M.2 SSD drives, and like its bigger brother, includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI outputs and 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports. It can drive four screens, but it doesn’t have a Copilot button.
Both models support MSI Power Link, which allows power control through selected MSI monitors and reduces cable clutter, especially when mounted behind a monitor. Pricing details for both have yet to be announced.
