IBM introduces z16 and IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 options

Introduced in April 2022, the IBM z16 multi frame has helped transform industries with real-time AI inferencing at scale and quantum-safe cryptography. IBM LinuxONE Emperor 4, launched in September 2022, features capabilities that can reduce both energy consumption and data centre floor space while delivering the scale, performance and security that clients need. The new single frame and rack mount configurations expand client infrastructure choices and help bring these benefits to data centre environments where space, sustainability and standardisation are paramount.

“IBM remains at the forefront of innovation to help clients weather storms generated by an ever-changing market,” said Ross Mauri, General Manager, IBM zSystems and LinuxONE. “We’re protecting clients’ investments in existing infrastructure while helping them to innovate with AI and quantum-safe technologies. These new options let companies of all sizes seamlessly co-locate IBM z16 and LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 with distributed infrastructure, bringing exciting capabilities to those environments.”

Designed for today’s changing IT environment to enable new use cases

Organisations in every industry are balancing an increasing number of challenges to deliver integrated digital services. According to a recent IBM Transformation Index report, among those surveyed, security, managing complex environments and regulatory compliance were cited as challenges to integrating workloads in a hybrid cloud. These challenges can be compounded by more stringent environmental regulations and continuously rising costs.

“We have seen immense value from utilising the IBM z16 platform in a hybrid cloud environment,” said Bo Gebbie, president, Evolving Solutions. “Leveraging these very secure systems for high volume transactional workloads, combined with cloud-native technologies, has enabled greater levels of agility and cost optimisation for both our clients' businesses and our own.”

The new IBM z16 and LinuxONE 4 offerings are built for the modern data centre to help optimise flexibility and sustainability, with capabilities for partition-level power monitoring and additional environmental metrics. For example, consolidating Linux workloads on an IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 instead of running them on compared x86 servers with similar conditions and location can reduce energy consumption by 75 percent and space by 67 percent.1  These new configurations are engineered to deliver the same hallmark IBM security and transaction processing at scale.

Designed and tested to the same internal qualifications as the IBM z16 high availability portfolio[2], the new rack-optimised footprint is designed for use with client-owned, standard 19-inch racks and power distribution units. This new footprint opens opportunities to include systems in distributed environments with other servers, storage, SAN and switches in one rack, designed to optimise both co-location and latency for complex computing, such as training AI models.

Installing these configurations in the data centre can help create a new class of use cases, including:

•       Sustainable design: Easier integration into hot or cold aisle thermal management data centre configurations with common data centre power and cooling

•       Optimising AI solutions: With on-chip AI inferencing and the newest IBM z/OS 3.1, whether rack mount, single frame or multi frame configurations, clients can train or deploy AI models very close to where data resides, allowing clients to optimise AI

•       Data privacy: Support data sovereignty for regulated industries with compliance and governance restrictions on data location, routing local transactions through local data centres with optimised rack mount efficiency

•       Edge computing: Enable more efficient rack utilisation in limited rack space near manufacturing, healthcare devices, or other edge devices

Securing data on the industry’s most available systems[3]

For critical industries, like healthcare, financial services, government and insurance, a secure, available IT environment is key to delivering high quality service to customers. IBM z16 and LinuxONE 4 are engineered to provide the highest levels of reliability in the industry, 99.99999% availability to support mission-critical workloads as part of a hybrid cloud strategy. These high availability levels help companies maintain consumer access to bank accounts, medical records and personal data. Emerging threats require protection, and the new configurations offer security capabilities that include confidential computing, centralized key management and quantum-safe cryptography to help thwart bad actors planning to “harvest now, decrypt later.”

“IBM z16 and LinuxONE systems are known for security, resiliency and transaction processing at scale,” said Matt Eastwood, SVP, WW Research, IDC. “Clients can now access the same security and resiliency standards in new environments with the single frame and rack mount configurations, giving them flexibility in the data centre. Importantly, this also opens up more business opportunity for partners who will be able to reach an expanded audience by integrating IBM zSystems and LinuxONE capabilities to their existing footprints.”

With the IBM Ecosystem of zSystems ISV partners, IBM is working to address compliance and cybersecurity. For clients that run data serving, core banking and digital assets workloads, an optimal compliance and security posture is key to protecting sensitive personal data and existing technology investments.

"High processing speed and artificial intelligence are key to moving organizations forward,” said Adi Hazan, director of Analycat. “IBM zSystems and LinuxONE added the security and power that we needed to address new clients, use cases and business benefits. The native speed of our AI on this platform was amazing and we are excited to introduce the IBM LinuxONE offerings to our clients with large workloads to consolidate and achieve corporate sustainability goals.”

IBM Business Partners can learn more about the skills required to install, deploy, service and resell single frame and rack mount configurations in this blog.

Complementary Technology Lifecycle Support Services

With the new IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 servers, IBM will offer IBM LinuxONE Expert Care. IBM Expert Care integrates and prepackages hardware and software support services into a tiered support model, helping organisations to choose the right fit of services. This support for LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 will offer enhanced value to clients with predictable maintenance costs and reduced deployment and operating risk.