1U edge AI inference server
A passive data-centre GPU cooled inside a 350 mm deep 1U box.
- Process
- Sheet metal
- Quantity
- 20
- Region
- US
- Environment
- 19-inch rack, 350 mm deep
- Image
- Concept image, not to scale
Example brief · not client workWe wrote this brief ourselves; it is not client work. The 3D model, drawings and inspection results are in production and will replace the placeholders below.
The request, as a client would send it
We run computer-vision models in retail back rooms where there's only a shallow wall-mount rack. We need a 1U short-depth chassis in sheet steel, 20 units to start. Inside: - a Mini-ITX board (170 x 170 mm) - an NVIDIA L4 GPU: half-height, half-length, single slot, 168.5 x 68.9 mm, 72 W and passively cooled. It has no fan, so the chassis has to push air through it. It sits on a riser, lying flat. - a flex-ATX power supply, 150 x 81.5 x 40.5 mm (we use the SilverStone FX350-G) - two 2.5" SSDs Maximum depth is 350 mm because the racks are shallow. Front-to-back airflow from a row of 40 mm fans. Front: power button and two USB ports. Rear: IEC inlet and the I/O shield. Supermicro's SC505-203B is close, but its slot and power supply layout don't fit the L4 and our PSU. Our rough layout sketch is attached. We need flat patterns and a hardware list for our local sheet-metal shop.
Attached by the client
Links in the request
- NVIDIA L4 product brief (opens in a new tab)168.54 x 68.90 mm, single slot, passive
- SilverStone FX350-G (flex-ATX) (opens in a new tab)150 x 81.5 x 40.5 mm
- Supermicro SC505-203B (reference chassis) (opens in a new tab)437 x 43 x 249 mm, mini-ITX
- Mini-ITX white paper (VIA) (opens in a new tab)170 x 170 mm board
Product names are their owners' trademarks and are used only to describe size or parts.
Highlighted numbers came with the request; they are the values we would design to.
What we considered
| No. | Consideration | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Air forced through a fanless GPU A duct from the fan row runs the full length of the GPU so its 72 W leaves through the rear, not into the board. | Clear path from the fans through the GPU heatsink to the rear vents. |
| 02 | Everything inside 350 mm Board, riser GPU, power supply and SSDs placed without collisions inside the depth limit. | No two parts share space; overall depth. |
| 03 | Rack dimensions from EIA-310 Panel width 482.6 mm, height 44.45 mm, ear hole spacing 465.1 mm. | Outer size and ear holes against EIA-310. |
| 04 | Ready for a sheet-metal shop Bend radii, reliefs, hole-to-bend distances and PEM nuts checked on the built part; flat patterns and an assembly drawing delivered. | Sheet-metal rules on the built geometry; flat patterns exported. |
The question we would ask you
Fixed rack ears or slide rails?
Slide rails need side mounting holes and a few millimetres of width, and change how the lid is serviced.
What we do not claim
- Thermal analysis or GPU temperatures
- Performance or noise
CAD, drawings and inspection
Model, drawings, parts list and inspection report
The 3D model, dimensioned drawings, flat patterns, parts list, and the first-try and final inspection results will appear here after the first build. First-try failures stay visible.