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Ask HN: Thought experiment – Most compact supercomputer?

1 points by boh_grey ↗ HN
What's the most compact supercomputer you could build that could make it onto the TOP500 list?

I'm interested in all the different ways you could assemble existing COTS hardware to build a HPC cluster but optimize the design for compactness or cost.

SO, what's the best machine to build as a DIY'er that could make it onto the list? What choices would you make?

2 comments

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detaro
I don't think "real" supercomputers intentionally waste space, so I'd expect that there is not much potential for shrinking using COTS parts. (i.e. more COTS-like supercomputers are racks full of compact servers, sometimes stuffed with GPUs, sometimes more towards as many CPU sockets as possible)
boh_grey
Thanks for the reply.

I guess my intuition from reviewing the lists over time is that some supercomputers start at the top of the list and then drop as improvements to technology crown new winners.

But if you had to build a machine TODAY to just get on the bottom end of the list, what design choices might you make?