IBM is releasing new single frame and rack mount configurations of IBM z16 and IBM LinuxONE 4, designed to enhance flexibility and sustainability for the modern data center while still delivering the highest levels of reliability in the industry, according to the vendor.
The latest single frame and rack mount configurations come at the heels of IBM LinuxONE Emperor 4, which minimized data center floor space and energy consumption while delivering optimized scale, performance, and security. The IBM z16 multi-frame, introduced in April 2022, has similarly redefined data center capabilities, transforming enterprises with real-time AI inference at scale and quantum-safe cryptography, according to the vendor.
Building atop those previous releases, the new single frame and rack mount configurations of IBM z16 and IBM LinuxONE 4 further accommodate the inconstant IT landscape while addressing needs for scalability, performance, availability, sustainability, and regulatory compliance.
“We heard a lot from our clients about wanting to establish a footprint in a new market, needing a smaller footprint; but at the same time, still needing the scalability, security, and resiliency, that only zSystems and LinuxONE can really bring to bear,” explained with Tina Tarquinio, VP of product management forIBM zSystems and LinuxONE. “We wanted to make sure that our clients did not have to choose between environmental savings and these qualities of service that they run their mission critical applications on—like security, resiliency, and availability.”
This announcement propels partition-level power monitoring, as well as additional environmental metrics, to the forefront; consolidating Linux workloads on an IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 can reduce energy consumption by 75% and space usage by 67%, as opposed to x86 servers that share similar conditions and location, according to the vendor.
The rack-optimized footprint is engineered for use with client-owned, standard 19-inch racks and power distribution units. To ensure performance requirements are met, the footprint was designed and tested to the same internal qualifications as the IBM z16 high availability portfolio, according to the vendor. The use cases for these configurations include:
- Allows enterprises to include systems in distributed environments with other servers, storage, SAN, and switches in one rack while optimizing both co-location and latency for complex computing.
- Embracing a sustainable design with easier integration into hot or cold aisle thermal management data center configurations.
- On-chip AI inferencing, paired with the latest IBM z/OS 3.1, enables AI to be trained or deployed close to where the data resides, whether it be within rack mount, single frame, or multi-frame configurations.
- Enhanced data privacy with data sovereignty support for regulated industries that adhere to compliance and governance restrictions on data location.
- Optimized rack utilization in limited rack space near edge devices.
- Continued delivery of IBM security and transaction processing at scale, with new security capabilities for confidential computing, centralized key management, and quantum-safe cryptography.
Paying particular note to the announcement’s ability to drive AI inferencing and quantum safe capabilities at scale, Tarquinio emphasized this advantage for clients and business partners. Available in a range of sizes and capacities, any business need for AI inferencing and quantum safe capabilities can be executed and deployed on-prem, hybrid cloud, or edge computing.
“If you think about that as your foundation, that now you can do this intense AI inferencing on platform, you now have lower risk; you don't have to move your data or scoring off-platform, you can protect what you have on platform with quantum safe cryptography and you can lower your power cost of your space you take up,” explained Tarquinio. “And you have all of that with an incredibly modern DevOps environment.”
In addition to its extensive sustainability, privacy, and AI use cases, IBM z16 and LinuxONE 4 promise 99.9999999% availability for mission-critical workloads, which aids in access control to sensitive data.
“IBM z16 and LinuxONE systems are known for security, resiliency, and transaction processing at scale,” said Matt Eastwood, SVP of WW research at 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 center. Importantly, this also opens up more business opportunities for partners who will be able to reach an expanded audience by integrating IBM zSystems and LinuxONE capabilities to their existing footprints.”
IBM’s announcement is accompanied by the launch of IBM LinuxONE Expert Care, designed to support the new IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4 servers. IBM Expert Care helps enterprises select the most appropriate fit of services by integrating and pre-packaging hardware and software support services into a tiered support model, ultimately providing predictable maintenance costs while reducing deployment and operation risk, according to the vendor.
“[IBM LinuxONE Expert Care] is really about simplifying how our customers can deploy and maintain their technology,” said Tarquinio. “For our LinuxONE, Emperor 4, and LinuxONE Rockhopper for clients, it's a really simple, t-shirt size way for them to get the maintenance and support they need going forward…it's a great way for them to connect with resources across all of IBM when they have questions or need support in changing configurations.”
The new IBM z16 and LinuxONE 4 single frame and rack mount configurations, as well as IBM LinuxONE Expert Care, will be generally available beginning from IBM and certified business partners on May 17, 2023.
“We continue to raise the bar on what we deliver and how we deliver it. In addition to all of this incredible technology, we've also introduced ways for our clients to quickly and easily consume the technology,” concluded Tarquinio.
To learn more about IBM’s latest single frame and rack mount options for IBM z16 and IBM LinuxONE 4, please visit https://www.ibm.com/us-en?ar=1.