Less than a year after announcing a $1 billion commitment to Linux on Power, IBM has delivered new Power Systems running Linux. The new scale out Power Systems are built from the ground up to harness big data with the new IBM POWER8 processor, a sliver of silicon that measures just one square inch, which is embedded with more than 4 billion microscopic transistors and more than 11 miles of high-speed copper wiring.
The first POWER8-based systems to debut are five Power Systems S-Class servers designed for large, scale-out computing environments. Available now, the new scale-out S Class servers include two systems that run Linux exclusively – the Power Systems S812L and S822L servers. The three additional offerings, the Power Systems S814, S822 and S824 servers, provide clients the choice of running multiple operating systems including Linux, AIX and IBM i. The new servers are available in 1 and 2 socket and 2U and 4U configurations.
IBM also unveiled two Linux developments that fortify rapid cloud innovation on the new POWER8 systems – the availability of Ubuntu Server 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu OpenStack and Juju service orchestration tools, on POWER8 systems. This complements the existing support by IBM for Red Hat and SUSE Linux operating system distributions on its complete line of Power Systems.
“Infrastructure matters in the new era of computing,” said Doug Balog, General Manager, Power Systems, IBM Systems and Technology Group, during a recent webcast. According to Balog, there are three powerful forces impacting IT requirements today: big data and analytics, cloud, and open standards. Simultaneously, customers are running out of floor space, and out of energy and while their data keeps growing, and this is all fueling the need for better ways to access and deliver IT.
To access a webcast on how IBM Power Systems’ servers and solutions enable companies to take advantage of the cloud and also leverage an open ecosystem of innovation, go here.
To read the latest IBM Linux on Power Systems announcement, go here.