The Mighty Cheyenne Supercomputer: A Monster Up for Auction
In the heart of Wyoming, nestled within the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center, lies a technological behemoth—the Cheyenne supercomputer. Once ranked as the 20th most powerful computer globally, this computational titan has seen its star rise and fall, but it remains a force to be reckoned with.
The Specs:
Processing Power: Armed with a staggering 8,064 Intel “Broadwell” Xeon processors, each boasting 18 cores humming at 2.3GHz (that’s more cores than a pineapple has leaves!), the Cheyenne can churn out 5.34 quadrillion calculations per second. Yes, you read that right—quadrillions!
Memory Marvel: Picture this: 313,344GB of DDR4-2400 ECC single-rank memory. That’s enough RAM to store the entire works of Shakespeare, every cat meme ever created, and still have room for your grandma’s secret cookie recipe.
Cooling Drama: But wait, there’s a twist! The Cheyenne has been experiencing some maintenance hiccups. Faulty quick disconnects have been causing water spray—like a high-tech sprinkler system gone rogue. Imagine the scene: scientists in lab coats chasing leaks with buckets. It’s like a tech thriller meets a water park adventure.
Repairable Woes: Here’s the red flag: the auction page whispers, “repairable.” Apparently, fixing this beast is akin to taming a mythical creature. The cost and downtime associated with rectifying these issues have raised eyebrows. But hey, it’s all part of the supercomputer drama, right?
Fluid Exchange: The Cheyenne comes with previously used PGW coolant fluid (approximately 10 gallons per E-cell). It’s like buying a vintage car—you get the quirks and character, but also the occasional oil leak.
The Auction:
Bidding Frenzy: As the auction countdown ticks away, bids are flying faster than code snippets during a hackathon. The current bid stands at $50,085, but the reserve hasn’t been met. Deep-pocketed tech enthusiasts, this is your moment!
Fine Print: Remember, you’ll need to supply your own fiber optic and CAT5/6 cabling. Oh, and a professional moving company—because transporting this beast isn’t a one-person job. And don’t forget the space! The Cheyenne demands real estate like a diva demands a dressing room.
Supercomputer History: Owning the Cheyenne means owning a piece of computational history. It’s like having the Mona Lisa in your garage, except it crunches numbers instead of mesmerizing gazes.
So, if you’re ready to embrace the quirks, the power, and the sheer audacity of the Cheyenne, place your bid. Who knows? Maybe you’ll unlock the secrets of the universe or just run a really, really fast game of Solitaire. Either way, it’s a win-win! 🌟
