Asus exits smartphone business, and the reason is AI

Asus has officially pulled out of the smartphone market, ending production of its Zenfone and ROG Phone lineups as it redirects resources toward artificial intelligence hardware.

Chairman Jonney Shih made the announcement at Asus’s year-end gala in Taipei on January 16, stating that “Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models in the future,” according to Inside. While Shih suggested the company might monitor the smartphone space, the scale of its AI push indicates this exit could be permanent.