The US General Services Administration recently auctioned off Cheyenne, an American supercomputer that was once ranked 20th in the world. The supercomputer, equipped with 8,000 Intel Xeon CPUs and 300TB of RAM, was sold for $480,085 after a bidding war among 27 participants. Despite some maintenance issues, including water leaks, Cheyenne found a new home with the highest bidder.
For those interested in owning a supercomputer but without the deep pockets or repair needs of Cheyenne, Supermicro offers an alternative. They are selling complete Intel Gaudi 2 servers for $90,000, a rare opportunity considering AI server pricing is usually not advertised. The system comes with a range of components, including Habana Gaudi-2 OAM Mezz cards, Intel Xeon processors, DDR4 ECC RDIMM memory, NVMe PCIe storage, NICs, and Intel Gaudi 2 OCP OAM Spec with heat sink.
Intel launched Gaudi 3 in April 2024, so the Gaudi 2 servers from Supermicro are not the latest hardware. However, the system still utilizes an Ice Lake Xeon platform on PCIe Gen4 and DDR4 memory. The breakdown of costs includes the list price of Intel Xeon Platinum 8368 processors and the cost of memory modules and SSDs. Supermicro also offers customization options for Gaudi 2 servers, allowing buyers to choose components based on their specific needs.
For those seeking more information, it is recommended to contact Supermicro directly for pricing details and further customization options. Despite not being the latest hardware, the Gaudi 2 servers offer powerful performance for AI and data processing tasks. This opportunity to purchase a supercomputer at a relatively affordable price point is a rare find in the industry.
In conclusion, the auction of Cheyenne and the availability of Supermicro’s Gaudi 2 servers provide opportunities for individuals and organizations to own and operate high-performance computing systems. The advancements in technology and the availability of such systems at varying price points contribute to the growth and accessibility of powerful computing resources for a wide range of applications. Whether it is through auctions or direct purchases from manufacturers like Supermicro, the world of supercomputing continues to evolve, offering new possibilities for research, innovation, and data processing.
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https://www.techradar.com/pro/missed-out-on-the-dollar500000-cheyenne-supercomputer-deal-supermicro-has-an-intel-server-offer-that-you-cant-refuse-eight-gaudi-2-ai-accelerators-76-cores-1tb-of-ram-and-100gbe-for-just-dollar90000
