Embedded and hobbyist computing specialist Sipeed has opened orders for an ultra-compact computing cluster that packs as much as seven Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, Compute Module 5, or Sipeed’s personal Longan Module 3H or M4N nodes into roughly the scale of a soda can: the Sipeed NanoCluster.
“NanoCluster is an ultra-miniature cluster board developed by Sipeed, that includes seven SOM [System-on-Module] slots interconnected by way of a RISC-V-based gigabit swap,” the corporate explains of the gadget. “It helps USB [Type]-C PD [Power Delivery] energy provide and non-compulsory PoE [Power-over-Ethernet] growth. Moreover, NanoCluster gives impartial UART and energy management, making it a perfect entry-level platform for HomeLab customers exploring distributed computing, Kubernetes, Docker, and edge computing.”
Severe energy within the palm of your hand: Sipeed’s new NanoCluster packs as much as seven SOMs right into a tiny quantity. (📷: Sipeed)
The SOMs in query will be mixed-and-matched from a alternative of 4 fashions: the last-generation Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, the latest-and-greatest Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5, or Sipeed’s in-house Longan Module 3H with 4 Arm Cortex-A53 cores or extra highly effective Longan Module M4N with 4 Cortex-A55 cores and a neural coprocessor for on-device machine studying and synthetic intelligence (ML and AI) workloads. All however the directly-compatible Longan Module 3H modules sit on interposer boards to adapt them to the customized seven-node provider — and the corporate guarantees an open normal, primarily based on a pair of M.2 M-key slots, which is able to enable customers and distributors to design interposers of their very own to help addition systems-on-modules.
The NanoCluster {hardware} itself, delivered to our consideration by Liliputing, is extraordinarily compact — roughly the identical footprint because the built-in 60mm cooling fan and in a stack no taller than a soda can. There is a single HDMI output linked to the primary node within the system, whereas every part is linked up by an built-in JLSemi JL6108 RISC-V-based eight-power gigabit swap. There is a single gigabit Ethernet port for exterior connectivity, two USB 2.0 host ports, and a USB On-The-Go (OTG) port linked to the primary node within the system. All nodes embody help for an non-compulsory Non-Risky Reminiscence Categorical (NVMe) storage gadget on the back-side of the interposer board, with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module interposers together with a microSD Card slot for the variations with out on-board eMMC storage.
Interposer boards present help for the Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM5 plus Sipeed’s personal modules. (📷: Sipeed)
Sipeed has begun taking orders for the NanoCluster on its web site at $45 for the board and cooling fan, $89 for a bundle which incorporates seven of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Compute Module 5 interposer boards, $259 for a bundle with seven ready-to-run Longan Module 3H boards that includes 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage, or $649 for a bundle together with 4 Longan Module M4Ns with 8GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage plus the mandatory interposer boards — all at a claimed 10 per cent low cost from the deliberate retail worth as soon as the gadgets begin delivery.
