IBM’s next-gen mainframe chip is the first to run Arm and Z workloads on the same cores

Key Points:

• IBM announced a groundbreaking mainframe processor at Hot Chips that can natively execute both IBM's instruction set and Arm's, switching between them in nanoseconds, enabling seamless integration of Arm-native Linux software with traditional z/OS workloads.
• The chip features 11 high-performance cores built on a 2-nanometer process, running above 5.7 GHz, with AI inference accelerators and I/O acceleration, designed to support hundreds of cores and terabytes of memory for mission-critical enterprise use.
• This dual-architecture design addresses the need to run the vast Arm software ecosystem, including AI frameworks, alongside mainframe workloads without porting software, leveraging open-source KVM hypervisor for near-zero switching overhead.
• IBM also previewed the next-generation Spyre AI accelerator, designed to run large language models and advanced AI workflows directly on the mainframe, aligning with enterprise demands for integrated AI and transaction processing.
• The new processor is expected to launch around 2028 in the successor to the z17 system, with IBM emphasizing this as an evolution rather than a replacement of traditional mainframe architecture, aiming to maintain mainframe relevance in the AI era.