IBM Launches Z17 And LinuxONE 5 Configurations, Its First Rack Mount Offering To Go Alongside Single-Frame Systems

The expanded IBM z17 and LinuxONE 5 portfolios now offer a wide range of deployment options, engineered with the same flagship performance, security, and ecosystem standards. New single frame and rack mount options provide additional ways for organizations to position their infrastructure where it fits best for their business needs, helping support flexibility and operational efficiency.

New Systems Built for Data Center Flexibility

The new IBM z17 and IBM LinuxONE 5 configurations support up to 82 cores and 18 TB of memory across two processor drawers, representing about a 20% increase in core count and 12% increase in memory capacity. Single processor capacity of IBM z17 ME2 provides full speed IBM z/OS configurations including 10% greater throughput per core than IBM z16 A02 with some variation based on workload and configuration.2

Clients have the flexibility to co-locate IBM and non-IBM equipment to achieve the best fit-for-purpose installation in their data center. Each system is designed to help organizations reclaim space, improve energy efficiency, and integrate seamlessly into existing environments:

• IBM z17 single frame is a fully packaged solution in an IBM rack and intelligent power distribution units (iPDUs), delivered as a complete enclosed unit ready to deploy, now with the added flexibility for clients to co-locate other technologies within the frame.
• IBM z17 rack mount allows clients to install IBM Z components directly into their own industry-standard rack, with built-in flexibility for co-location with other technologies.
• IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 5 is the scalable, multi-drawer LinuxONE system for high-density workloads, with on-chip AI acceleration, confidential computing, and post- quantum cryptography available in both single frame and rack mount configurations.
• IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 5 rack mount and Express offerings deliver enterprise-grade Linux, confidential computing, and on-chip AI acceleration in a compact 18U configuration. Designed for organizations supporting a smaller set of workloads, the offering provides a cost-efficient entry point that can scale as business grows, while prioritizing security, resiliency, and performance.

As with the rest of the IBM z17 and LinuxONE 5 portfolio announced last year, the single frame and rack mount systems deliver advanced multi-model AI inferencing through the IBM Telum® II processor, Red Hat OpenShift AI and the IBM Spyre™ Accelerator to deliver in-transaction predictive AI and generative AI.

Maximizing Business Value at the Core

Building on the flexibility of IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE systems, IBM is announcing new software and management capabilities designed to help clients simplify infrastructure operations, reduce the skills required to run the platform, and get more value from the workloads already running their business.

• IBM Infrastructure Management for Z and LinuxONE brings together provisioning, configuration, and operations together. Enterprises can now leverage Terraform and widely adopted Infrastructure-as-Code that are engineered to automate infrastructure deployments, and orchestrate configurations in a unified user interface with a simple visual I/O topology and configuration while addressing the number of specialists required.
• IBM COBOL Elevate for z/OS is built to simplify modernization and optimize performance for COBOL applications running on IBM z17, helping clients get more value from the applications they depend on with no rewrites or specialized skills required, with availability beginning September 18.
• Post-quantum cryptography security is now standard on z17 and LinuxONE Rockhopper 5 systems, leveraging post-quantum cryptography, confidential computing, and enterprise-wide secrets management.
• New IBM Crypto Discovery & Inventory capabilities are engineered to simplify security operations by giving security teams a consolidated view of their cryptographic posture across the enterprise, helping them prepare for post-quantum standards with end-to-end visibility.