Intel's 'The Element' Appears Poised for Launch At CES 2020

Adata recently teased the brand's XPG Gaia gaming mini-PC, which looks suspiciously like a carbon copy of Intel's Ghost Canyon NUC (Next Unit of Computing). This little easter egg from Adata's announcement leads us to the suspicion that Intel will probably announce 'The Element' at CES 2020. 

Adata developed the XPG Gaia in tandem with Intel, a hint that furthers our suspicions. Evidently, the XPG Gaia features a 5-liter chassis that's identical to the Ghost Canyon device. If it wasn't for the color and XPG logo, we could swear that we're looking at Intel's new NUC. There certainly isn't a shortage of pictures of Intel's unreleased kit. 

According to Adata's brief specifications, the XPG Gaia has one empty PCI slot for a graphics card up to eight inches long (20.32cm) and comes with a 500W 80 Plus Platinum power supply. A teardown of the Ghost Canyon NUC backs up both characteristics.

The Element is still wet behind the ears, so don't expect it to offer any serious firepower. Intel's product pages show that the Element will initially employ the chipmaker's 8th-generation Whiskey Lake chips that are trapped inside a 15W envelope. However, Ghost Canyon is reportedly powered by the 9th-generation Core i5-9300H, Core i7-9750H or Core i9-9980HK Coffee Lake processors. It'll be interesting to see whether Adata's XPG Gaia will be available with the same options as Ghost Canyon.

The big takeaway here is that Intel will seemingly allowing manufacturers access to the Element ecosystem. It's a wise decision on Intel's part as the chipmaker needs all the help it can get to help push the concept. There is no guarantee that The Element will catch on, but having more brands on the bandwagon will certainly help Intel's cause. While Adata has opted to use Intel's mold, we're sure other companies will come up with more extravagant designs.