If you've been thinking about buying a new supercomputer but have been waiting for a good price, now might be a good time to make your offer. Currently, the US government, through GSA Auctions, is auctioning off Cheyenne supercomputer To the highest bidder with three days remaining. Although we haven't tested this machine ourselves, we assume its 145,152 CPU cores will easily outperform our current top pick for a laptop. You also won't need a memory upgrade anytime soon, as there's currently 313,344GB of RAM installed currently, and storage capacity is around 36PB. No need to delete files to make room for new games or other media downloads.
GSA Auctions
Get one of the world's most powerful supercomputers at a price well below list during a US government auction.
The deal has been spotted before Ars Technica, who also noted that optical fiber and CAT5/6 cables are not included in the sale. Although the price the government paid for the supercomputer has not been revealed, it is safe to assume that the cost was in the millions, considering supercomputer prices. last Supercomputers. As of this writing, bids have reached $28,085, though the reserve has not yet been met. There are still three days remaining and there is currently no deposit required to make an offer.
The reason for this significant discount (other than the fact that Cheyenne was taken out of service) could be due to a faulty hotline disconnect that causes water splashes and the fact that approximately one percent of the nodes “experienced a failure” and “will remain unrepaired.” One other caveat to note before you start saving space in your yard-sized climate-controlled garage is that shipping is not included. As GSA Auctions notes on the detail page, “moving this system requires the use of a professional moving company” and that “buyer is responsible for transporting racks from facility to trucks.”
But where else will you find such big savings on a machine that can do this 5.34 quadrillion Calculations per second? The Cheyenne is also surprisingly energy efficient, consuming 25 percent less energy per calculation than its predecessor, the Yellowstone. The massive supercomputer helped researchers understand the rapid intensification of hurricanes, how wildfires affect air quality, and simulated years of climate functions to predict outcomes decades in advance. It should definitely give you enough processing power to super multitask at work while handling even the most demanding games after hours.
He follows @EngadgetDeals On Twitter and Sign up for the Engadget Deals newsletter For the latest tech deals and buying tips.
“Writer. Friendly troublemaker. Lifelong food junkie. Professional beer evangelist.”