A Rasp Pi HAT for clustering Pi Zeros
More than Zero

© Lead Image © lightwise, 123RF.com
Inexpensive, small, portable, low-power clusters are fantastic for many HPC applications. One of the coolest small clusters is the ClusterHAT for Raspberry Pi.
When I started in high-performance computing (HPC), the systems were huge, hulking beasts that were shared by everyone. The advent of clusters allowed the construction of larger systems accessible to more users. I always wanted my own cluster, but with limited funds, that was difficult. I could build small clusters from old, used systems, but the large cases took up a great deal of room. The advent of small systems, especially single-board computers (SBCs), allowed the construction of small, low-power, inexpensive, but very scalable systems.
Arguably, the monarch of the SBC movement is the Raspberry Pi [1]. It is now the third best selling computer of all time [2], overtaking the Commodore 64 and behind the PC and the Mac, and has sparked a whole industry around small, inexpensive, low-power but expandable computers that can be used for anything from sensors in the field, to desktops, to retro game consoles, and even to experiments on the International Space Station. The top-end Raspberry Pi, the Raspberry Pi 3 (RPi3), is about $35, and the introduction of the Raspberry Pi Zero (Pi Zero) in 2015, set the low-end price of $5.
People have been building clusters from Raspberry Pi units, starting with the original Raspberry Pi Model A, ranging from two to more than 250 nodes [3]. That early 32-bit system had a single core running at 700MHz with 256MB of memory. You can build a cluster of five RPi3 nodes [4] with 20 cores connected by a Gigabit Ethernet switch for about $300, including a case and case fan.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.