IBM expands Power10 server line for business modernisation
IBM has recently announced a significant expansion of its Power10 server line with the introduction of mid-range and scale-out systems to modernise, protect and automate business applications and IT operations.
The new Power10 servers combine performance, scalability and flexibility with new pay-as-you-go consumption offerings for clients looking to deploy new services quickly across multiple environments.
Digital transformation is driving organisations to modernise both their applications and IT infrastructures. IBM Power systems are purpose-built for today's demanding and dynamic business environments, and these new systems are optimised to run essential workloads such as databases and core business applications, as well as maximise the efficiency of containerised applications, the company states.
An ecosystem of solutions with Red Hat OpenShift also enables IBM to collaborate with clients, connecting critical workloads to new, cloud-native services designed to maximise the value of their existing infrastructure investments.
The new servers join the popular Power10 E1080 server introduced in September 2021 to deliver a secured, resilient hybrid cloud experience that can be managed with other x86 and multi-cloud management software across clients IT infrastructure.
This expansion of the IBM Power10 family with the new midrange and scale-out servers brings high-end server capabilities throughout the product line.
Not only do the new systems support critical security features such as transparent memory encryption and advanced processor/system isolation, but also leverage the OpenBMC project from the Linux Foundation for high levels of security for the new scale-out servers.
Highlights of the announcements include:
New systems: The expanded IBM Power10 portfolio, built around the next-generation IBM Power10 processor with 2x more cores and more than 2x memory bandwidth than previous Power generations, now includes the Power10 Midrange E1050, delivering record-setting 4-socket compute1, Java2, and ERP3 performance capabilities. New scale-out servers include the entry-level Power S1014, as well as S1022, and S1024 options, bringing enterprise capabilities to SMBs and remote-office/branch office environments, such as Capacity Upgrade on Demand (CuOD).
Cloud on premises with new flexible consumption choices: IBM has recently announced new flexible consumption offerings with pay-as-you-go options and by-the-minute metering for IBM Power Private Cloud, bringing more opportunities to help lower the cost of running OpenShift solutions on Power when compared against alternative platforms. These new consumption models build on options already available with IBM Power Virtual Server to enable greater flexibility in clients hybrid journeys. Additionally, the highly anticipated IBM i subscription delivers a comprehensive platform solution with the hardware, software and support/services included in the subscription service.
Business transformation with SAP: IBM continues its innovations for SAP solutions. The new midrange E1050 delivers scale (up to 16 TB) and performance for a 4-socket system for clients who run BREAKTHROUGH with IBM for RISE with SAP. In addition, an expansion of the premium supplier option is now available to provide more flexibility and computing power with an additional choice to run workloads on IBM Power on Red Hat Enterprise Linux on IBM Cloud.
Steve Sibley, vice president, IBM Power Product Management, says, "Today's highly dynamic environment has created volatility, from materials to people and skills, all of which impact short-term operations and long-term sustainability of the business.
"The right IT investments are critical to business and operational resilience. Our new Power10 models offer clients a variety of flexible hybrid cloud choices with the agility and automation to best fit their needs, without sacrificing performance, security or resilience.
The expansion of the IBM Power10 family has been engineered to establish a flexible and broadest range of servers for data-intensive workloads such as SAP S/4HANA from on-premises workloads to hybrid cloud.
IBM now offers more ways to implement dynamic capacity with metering across all operating environments including IBM i, AIX, Linux and OpenShift supporting modern and traditional applications on the same platforms as well as integrated infrastructure automation software for improved visibility and management.
The new systems with IBM Power Virtual Server also help clients operate a secured hybrid cloud experience that delivers high performance and architectural consistency across their IT infrastructure.
The systems are designed so as to protect sensitive data from core to cloud, and enable virtual machines and containerised workloads to run simultaneously on the same systems.
For critical business workloads that have traditionally needed to reside on-premises, they can now be moved into the cloud as workloads and needs demand. This flexibility can help clients mitigate risk and time associated with rewriting applications for a different platform.
Peter Rutten, IDC Worldwide Infrastructure research vice president, says, "As organisations around the world continue to adapt to unpredictable changes in consumer behaviours and needs, they need a platform that can deliver their applications and insights securely where and when they need them.
"IBM Power continues its laser focus on helping clients respond faster to dynamically changing environments and business demands, while protecting information security and distilling new insights from data, all with high reliability and availability.
