Sipeed's NanoCluster Packs Up to Seven Compute Modules Into the Volume of a Soda Can

Embedded and hobbyist computing specialist Sipeed has opened orders for an ultra-compact computing cluster that packs up to seven Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, Compute Module 5, or Sipeed's own Longan Module 3H or M4N nodes into roughly the size of a soda can: the Sipeed NanoCluster.

"NanoCluster is an ultra-miniature cluster board developed by Sipeed, featuring seven SOM [System-on-Module] slots interconnected via a RISC-V-based gigabit switch," the company explains of the device. "It supports USB [Type]-C PD [Power Delivery] power supply and optional PoE [Power-over-Ethernet] expansion. Additionally, NanoCluster provides independent UART and power control, making it an ideal entry-level platform for HomeLab users exploring distributed computing, Kubernetes, Docker, and edge computing."

The SOMs in question can be mixed-and-matched from a choice of four models: 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 four Arm Cortex-A53 cores or more powerful Longan Module M4N with four Cortex-A55 cores and a neural coprocessor for on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML and AI) workloads. All but the directly-compatible Longan Module 3H modules sit on interposer boards to adapt them to the custom seven-node carrier — and the company promises an open standard, based on a pair of M.2 M-key slots, which will allow users and vendors to design interposers of their own to support addition systems-on-modules.

The NanoCluster hardware itself, brought to our attention by Liliputing, is extremely compact — roughly the same footprint as the built-in 60mm cooling fan and in a stack no taller than a soda can. There's a single HDMI output connected to the first node in the system, while everything is linked up through an integrated JLSemi JL6108 RISC-V-based eight-power gigabit switch. There's a single gigabit Ethernet port for external connectivity, two USB 2.0 host ports, and a USB On-The-Go (OTG) port connected to the first node in the system. All nodes include support for an optional Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) storage device on the back-side of the interposer board, with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module interposers including a microSD Card slot for the versions without on-board eMMC storage.

Sipeed has begun taking orders for the NanoCluster on its website at $45 for the board and cooling fan, $89 for a bundle which includes 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 featuring 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage, or $649 for a bundle including four Longan Module M4Ns with 8GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage plus the necessary interposer boards — all at a claimed 10 per cent discount from the planned retail price once the devices start shipping.