As CERN computing equipment must meet highly specific efficiency requirements, it is often retired despite being still useful for less exacting environments. Since 2012, CERN has regularly donated computing equipment to countries and other international organisations, to be used in education-related contexts.

Through this programme, CERN shipped equipment to Fayoum University in Egypt in July. A member of the CMS collaboration since 2019, the university received its first donation of equipment in 2020, which was then used to create its Super Computing Lab, inaugurated in 2024.

As part of this second instalment, Fayoum University received more than 19 000 terabytes of storage capacity, more than 5000 processing cores, high-performance switches and a storage unit.

During his visit to CERN on 30 July, Ayman Ashour, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, commented: “This phase two donation goes beyond computational infrastructure; it is a catalyst for innovation. It is not merely equipment – it is an invitation to dream bigger, reach farther, and unite in the pursuit of discovery. Together, we prove that science knows no borders.”