Homelabber uses second-gen Optane memory sticks to run a 2.8-trillion-parameter AI model on CPU alone — warns that Optane's extreme heat can 'burn out' nearby memory DRAM, used blower fans to prevent melting RAM

A user successfully ran a 2.8-trillion-parameter AI model using only CPU and second-generation Optane memory sticks. Because these modules generate significant heat that threatens to damage adjacent DRAM, the setup required specialized blower fans for cooling. This demonstrates the potential for using high-capacity persistent memory to handle massive models outside of traditional GPU-based configurations.