Museum strings together 30 old Mac minis for replica of most successful supercomputer, builds something more powerful than the original

The Museo de Historia de la Computación in Spain has ingeniously transformed 30 old Mac Minis, ranging from 2012 to 2014, into a replica of the Cray-1 supercomputer, creating a more powerful version than the original. Originally introduced in 1976, the Cray-1 earned acclaim for its distinctive C-shaped cabinet. However, the revamped exhibit now boasts a total of 70 cores, making it 1.5 teraflops, a feat surpassing the original's 64-bit, 80 MHz processor, and 8.39 MB of memory, with a theoretical peak performance of approximately 160 megaflops.

Each Mac Mini in the display runs on Mojave, utilizing MAC OS Message Passing Interface to allocate computing tasks across the devices. The Mac Minis are housed within a natural convection ventilation system, which efficiently manages heat and minimizes cooling noise. Currently on permanent display at the museum, the exhibit aims to be expanded by 80 additional M4 Mac Minns through crowdfunding, with the goal of building a modern supercomputer capable of ranking on the Top500 list.