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Recycled PC HPC Cluster
A partner-built high-performance computing (HPC) cluster created from recycled PCs for teaching, labs, and applied computing projects.
From February to November 2025, the University of Surrey hosted a hands-on build programme to design and assemble a small HPC cluster using recycled PCs. Partners from Kazakhstan and Indonesia joined the implementation phase through workgroups and technical sessions, focusing on practical deployment (hardware assembly, networking, imaging, and basic job scheduling) and on creating materials that can be reused locally for teaching and student projects.
Many partner hubs want to introduce high-performance computing concepts without requiring expensive new hardware.
This project explored a pragmatic approach: building a small teaching cluster using recycled PCs and a repeatable setup process.
A working reference cluster assembled from refurbished machines, designed for classroom demonstrations and introductory labs.
A baseline deployment approach covering operating system imaging, network configuration, and a simple job execution workflow suitable for teaching.
Surrey hosted the core build and coordinated technical sessions.
AITU (Kazakhstan) and partners in Indonesia contributed via workgroups, implementation review, and local adaptation planning.
Adapt the reference setup for partner hubs with available hardware and local constraints.
Package the teaching materials into a short lab sequence (intro to parallelism, batching, and performance basics).
- Reference design and parts checklist for a recycled-PC compute cluster.
- Setup notes covering imaging, network configuration, and basic cluster operations.
- Shared guidance on safe reuse, testing, and maintenance of refurbished hardware.
- A teaching-ready example environment for introductory HPC / parallel computing labs.