This Google-backed phone cluster computing project is turning retired Pixels into low-cost Linux data centers as UCSD researchers say a 2,000-phone cluster will soon support 100 computer science classes

Date:
Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:50:47 +0000

Description:
Google says old phones could see their components reused as affordable cloud servers.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Google is working on an intriguing way to give old phones a new life Their motherboards would be used as makeshift cloud servers This could save money and reduce the industrys environmental impact What happens when you recycle your old phone ? In most cases itll be stripped for parts, but the smartphone itself doesnt usually live on in any meaningful way. Things might look different in the future, though, as a new project from Google is giving discarded phones a new life in the cloud.

The tech giant has teamed up with researchers from the University of California San Diego to find ways in which old smartphones can be reused past their sell-by date, and one particularly promising avenue is as replacement servers. The idea is to both reduce the raw materials needed to manufacture new servers and cut down on the emissions that result from that manufacturing process. As detailed on Googles blog (via Tom's Hardware ), the tech firm is exploring what it calls phone cluster computing. This involves removing the motherboards from old phones, then packing them into clusters and deploying the resulting amalgam into a general-purpose computing platform. This can be used to power servers instead of prompting businesses to buy new devices. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

And it could be worthwhile. Google claims that between 25 and 50 phones
equate to a modern server, depending on the task. However, many places dont need anywhere near that much power grading and research performed by
teachers and universities is within the capabilities of a single smartphone
to host, Google notes. A 20-phone cluster, meanwhile, can handle peak submission rates from a classroom of 75 students or more, suggesting
education could be a worthwhile avenue for this kind of experimentation. Powering future servers Phone components could be repurposed as large-scale cloud servers, according to Google. (Image credit: Shutterstock/Sashkin) A project like this makes a lot of sense. After all, while your old phone might not feel as snappy as something you can buy today, its still full of highly capable components that could provide valuable power in different circumstances. As Google explained, The single-threaded performance of modern smartphones performance processor cores is on-par with or better than those
of modern multicore servers. Simply throwing that away is clearly wasteful. You may like I've given my old Android phones a second life here are 7 ways you can do the same The lampposts in your street could double up as mini data centers Google may have found a sneaky way to get all the electricity it
needs for its data centers

Thats made more pertinent when you consider Googles assertion that people
tend to replace their phones every four years. By that point, most
smartphones remain extremely capable and still have plenty of life left in them. It would be a shame to squander that, especially when the intensive manufacturing process is taken into account.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego are planning a
computing cluster packed with up to 2,000 repurposed phones, which would be deployed for computer science research. This could be capable of supporting a hundred such classes at once, Google says, and will be able to do so at a fraction of the cost of a regular server equivalent. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

If the project is a success and if consumer-grade hardware such as that
found in smartphones is able to handle sustained usage in this way it probably wouldnt be a surprise to see more moves like this in the future. The 2,000-phone cluster is expected to go live in fall 2026, so watch this space. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best laptops 1. Best overall: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M5 2. Best budget: Apple MacBook Neo 3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch 4. Best thin and light: Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 5. Best Ultrabook Asus Zenbook S 16



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/this-google-backed-phone-cluster-computing-pr oject-is-turning-retired-pixels-into-low-cost-linux-data-centers-as-ucsd-resea rchers-say-a-2-000-phone-cluster-will-soon-support-100-computer-science-classe s


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)