Asus puts smartphone unit on indefinite hiatus, pivots to AI

• Key Takeaways:
• Asus has confirmed its smartphone business is on an indefinite hiatus.
• Chairman Jonney Shih says AI applications will be the company’s main focus going forward.
• The move signals a strategic shift away from handset competition toward software and AI opportunities.

Asus confirms indefinite pause on smartphone business

Asus has publicly confirmed that its smartphone business is on an indefinite hiatus. The company’s leadership framed the decision as a strategic move rather than a temporary product gap.

Chairman: AI applications are the new priority

Asus chairman Jonney Shih said the company will concentrate on AI applications going forward. That statement makes clear the company intends to shift resources and attention from handset hardware to software-driven AI efforts.

Why this matters

The smartphone market is highly competitive and capital-intensive. By pausing its phone business, Asus appears to be reallocating investment toward areas where it sees greater long-term opportunity in AI.

A focus on AI applications could mean more work on software platforms, partnerships, and products that integrate machine learning or generative AI features. For Asus, this may leverage its existing strengths in PCs, motherboards, and enterprise hardware while changing how it competes in consumer markets.

What it means for customers and partners

Existing Asus smartphone users should watch for official support and service announcements from the company. An indefinite hiatus does not automatically imply immediate discontinuation of support, but customers may face longer gaps between hardware updates.

For partners, the shift signals new collaboration opportunities around AI software, cloud services, and integration with Asus’s other product lines. Companies that supplied or collaborated with Asus on phones may need to realign plans or seek new partners.

The broader industry angle

Asus’s move reflects a wider trend of established hardware vendors placing greater emphasis on AI capabilities. Companies across the industry are balancing hardware R&D with investments in software, models, and AI-driven services that can scale across devices and cloud platforms.

Next steps

Asus has set expectations about its strategic priorities, but specifics about product roadmaps, timelines, or the scope of its AI initiatives were not provided in the announcement. Observers should expect further details from Asus as it outlines how it will channel resources into AI applications.

News Categories: Gadgets

News Tags: Asus, Jonney Shih, smartphones, AI applications

Feature Image Text: ASUS PAUSES PHONES