IBM has announced the release of its latest mainframe hardware, the IBM z17, which includes updates aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). This new version, revealed by the hardware and consulting firm on Monday, is equipped with an IBM Telum II processor and is intended for use in over 250 AI applications, including AI agents and generative AI.
Despite their reputation as older technology, mainframes are still utilized by 71% of Fortune 500 companies, according to Rocket Software. The mainframe market was valued at approximately $5.3 billion in 2024, as reported by Market Research Future.
The z17 mainframe boasts the ability to process 450 billion inference operations daily, marking a 50% increase compared to its predecessor, the IBM z16, introduced in 2022 with the original Telum processor. This system is designed to seamlessly integrate with various other hardware, software, and open-source tools.
Tina Tarquinio, IBM Z’s Vice President of Product Management and Design, informed TechCrunch that the development of this mainframe upgrade began five years ago, prior to the AI surge initiated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT release in November 2022. IBM dedicated over 2,000 research hours gathering feedback from more than 100 customers during the z17’s development. Tarquinio noted that it was intriguing to see how the feedback they received aligned with the market’s eventual direction over those five years.
Addressing the recent industry changes regarding AI, Tarquinio remarked on the excitement and potential for AI to offer limitless possibilities. She indicated that the z17 is prepared to adapt to future AI market trends. Initially supporting 48 IBM Spyre AI accelerator chips, the mainframe aims to increase this number to 96 within 12 months.
Tarquinio explained that the z17 is purposefully built with extra capacity and AI agility to accommodate new models requiring more local memory for communication. This approach anticipates the evolution of AI models.
One of the notable features of the z17, Tarquinio highlighted, is its enhanced energy efficiency compared to the z16 and other competing products. The new hardware provides a seven and a half times increase in AI acceleration while using five and a half times less energy than competing platforms for multi-model processing.
The IBM z17 mainframes are scheduled to be generally available on June 8.
