IBM unveils AI-integrated z17 mainframe

Tech large IBM has unveiled the latest mentation of its mainframe hardware engineered to enactment artificial quality (AI) crossed software, hardware, and systems operations.

Powered by the IBM Telum II processor, the IBM z17 is designed to widen beyond transactional AI workloads, aiming to present real-time investigation for 100% of endeavor transactions.

The strategy introduces capabilities that process up to 50% much AI inference operations per time than its predecessor, the IBM z16.

The z17 incorporates feedback from much than 100 endeavor clients and reflects a five-year improvement process, the institution said.

The institution revealed that it filed much than 300 patent applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office during this period.

The caller strategy integrates AI to enactment implicit 250 usage cases specified arsenic hazard appraisal for loans, chatbot management, among others.

At the halfway of the z17 is simply a second-generation on-chip AI accelerator wrong the Telum II processor, offering 40% much cache and the quality to execute implicit 450 cardinal inferencing operations regular with 1 millisecond effect times.

Concurrently, the tech large previewed the IBM Spyre Accelerator which volition connection further AI compute capableness via a PCIe card.

The accelerator is intended to alteration generative AI capabilities connected the mainframe, specified arsenic AI assistants utilizing endeavor data.

The z17 introduces tools similar IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z and IBM watsonx Assistant for Z to heighten developer and IT operations productivity.

For the archetypal time, watsonx Assistant for Z volition integrate with Z Operations Unite to supply chat-based AI incidental detection and solution utilizing unrecorded strategy data, the institution said.

IBM besides introduced IBM Z Operations Unite, a solution designed to unify cardinal show metrics and logs utilizing OpenTelemetry.

Scheduled for wide availability successful May 2025, it is aimed astatine improving incidental detection, interaction assessment, and solution times.

The z17 besides includes features specified arsenic IBM Vault for secrets absorption crossed hybrid cloud, leveraging exertion from HashiCorp.

Additionally, the strategy introduces AI-powered tools for information classification and menace detection, including IBM Threat Detection for z/OS.

Support for the z17 volition beryllium provided done IBM Technology Lifecycle Services, offering AI-driven processes to heighten lawsuit solution and operational efficiency.

The z17 volition beryllium mostly disposable from 18 June 2025, with the IBM Spyre Accelerator to travel successful precocious 2025.

IBM LinuxONE and IBM Z wide manager Ross Mauri said: “The manufacture is rapidly learning that AI volition lone beryllium arsenic invaluable arsenic the infrastructure it runs on.