How to run vLLM on CPUs with OpenShift for GPU-free inference

This article provides a step-by-step guide on running the vLLM inference engine on CPUs within an OpenShift cluster, aimed at developers lacking access to GPUs. It covers the setup, building a custom Docker image for CPU use, and deploying the model with practical examples, including performance benchmarking experiments. The author shares personal insights from their experimentation with CPU-only setups, making it beginner-friendly and informative for those looking to understand LLM deployments without high-end hardware.