IBM Expands Power10 Server Family

July 13, 2022

IBM made a significant expansion of its Power10 server line with the introduction of mid-range and scale-out systems to modernize, 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 organizations to modernize 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 optimized to run essential workloads such as databases and core business applications, as well as maximize the efficiency of containerized applications. 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 maximize 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.

"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," said Steve Sibley, Vice President, IBM Power Product Management. "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 one of the industry's most 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 uniquely designed so as to protect sensitive data from core to cloud, and enable virtual machines and containerized 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.

"As organizations around the world continue to adapt to unpredictable changes in consumer behaviors and needs, they need a platform that can deliver their applications and insights securely where and when they need them," said Peter Rutten, IDC Worldwide Infrastructure Research Vice President. "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."

Ecosystem of ISVs and Channel Partners Enhance Capabilities for IBM Power10

Critical in the launch of the expanded Power10 family is a robust ecosystem of ISVs, Business Partners, and lifecycle services. Ecosystem partners such as SVA and Solutions II provide examples of how the IBM Ecosystem collaborates with clients to build hybrid environments, connecting essential workloads to the cloud to maximize the value of their existing infrastructure investments:

"SVA customers have appreciated the enormous flexibility of IBM Power systems through Capacity Upgrade On-Demand in the high-end systems for many years," said Udo Sachs, Head of Competence Center Power Systems at SVA. "The flexible consumption models using prepaid capacity credits have been well-received by SVA customers, and now the monthly pay-as-you-go option for the scale-out models makes the platform even more attractive. When it comes to automation, IBM helps us to roll out complex workloads such as entire SAP landscapes at the push of a button by supporting Ansible on all OS derivatives, including AIX, IBM i and Linux, as well as ready-to-use modules for deploying the complete Power infrastructure."

"Solutions II provides technology design, deployment, and managed services to hospitality organizations that leverage mission critical IT infrastructure to execute their mission, often requiring 24/7 operation," said Dan Goggiano, Director of Gaming, Solutions II. "System availability is essential to maintaining our clients' revenue streams, and in our experience, they rely on the stability and resilience of IBM Power systems to help solidify their uptime. Our clients are excited that the expansion of the Power10 family further extends these capabilities and bolsters their ability to run applications securely, rapidly, and efficiently."