ARMONK, N.Y., April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM)
today debuted new Power Systems servers that allow data centers to
manage staggering data requirements with unprecedented speed, all
built on an open server platform. In a move that sharply
contrasts other chip and server manufacturers' proprietary business
models, IBM through the OpenPOWER Foundation, released detailed
technical specifications for its POWER8 processor1,
inviting collaborators and competitors alike to innovate on the
processor and server platform, providing a catalyst for new
innovation.
Built on IBM's POWER8 technology and designed for an era of Big
Data, the new scale-out IBM Power Systems servers culminate a
$2.4 billion investment, three-plus
years of development and exploit the innovation of hundreds of IBM
patents -- underscoring IBM's singular commitment to providing
higher-value, open technologies to clients. The 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.
"This is the first truly disruptive advancement in high-end
server technology in decades, with radical technology changes and
the full support of an open server ecosystem that will seamlessly
lead our clients into this world of massive data volumes and
complexity," said Tom Rosamilia,
Senior Vice President, IBM Systems and Technology Group. "There no
longer is a one-size-fits-all approach to scale out a data center.
With our membership in the OpenPOWER Foundation, IBM's POWER8
processor will become a catalyst for emerging applications and an
open innovation platform."
IBM's POWER architecture is the cornerstone of innovation for
the OpenPOWER Foundation, creating a computing platform available
to all. The Foundation – representing 25 global technology
providers and growing – was founded by IBM, Google, NVIDIA,
Mellanox and Tyan. The group announced today an
innovation roadmap detailing planned contributions from several of
its members, with IBM's Power Systems as the first servers to
exploit OpenPOWER technology.
POWER8 Systems: Delivering Open Innovation to Put Data to
Work
The IBM Power Systems are designed for a new era of Big Data,
helping technology leaders who are faced with managing new types of
social and mobile computing and the explosion of data generated
each day.
FIS, a provider of payment processing and banking solutions that
manages critical financial data for thousands of companies around
the world, has expressed excitement about the new POWER8 systems,
especially when combined with IBM FlashSystem storage arrays.
"FIS is excited about the anticipated capabilities and
performance of the combination of IBM POWER8 and IBM FlashSystem
storage arrays," said MaryEllen
Adam, FIS, Senior Vice President of Large Financial
Institutions Product Management. "We expect higher utilization and
performance capabilities along with the flexible computing
resources needed to meet our client's application processing and
business delivery requirements. POWER8's secure-key cryptographic
accelerator and cryptographic coprocessor functions combined with
FlashSystems' enterprise ready extreme performance and application
latency reductions capability provides an infrastructure that is
critical to the success of today's core banking application
environments."
To help address this data deluge, IBM is also announcing three
new Power Systems solutions optimized for the unique requirements
of Big Data and analytics solutions. Leveraging the POWER8-based
systems together with the company's Big Data and analytics software
portfolio, the solutions enable organizations to put data to work
in real time. The new technologies, IBM Solution for BLU
Acceleration, IBM Solution for Analytics and IBM Solution for
Hadoop, are optimized for IBM's new Power Systems to deliver quick
insights on both structured and unstructured data. For example, the
new IBM Solution for Analytics provides speed of insight for
today's data driven analytical, computational and cognitive
workloads through integration with Cognos, SPSS and DB2 with BLU
Acceleration.
According to IBM test results, the IBM Power Systems are capable
of analyzing data 50 times faster than the latest x86-based
systems.2 Certain companies have reported
analytics queries running more than 1,000 times faster, reducing
run times from several hours to just seconds.
Linux Developments: Collaboration with Canonical,
PowerKVM
Recognizing Linux as a driving force for innovation, IBM last
year committed $1 billion (USD) in new Linux and other open source
technologies for IBM's Power Systems servers. Major investments
include new products, a growing network of five Power Systems Linux
Centers around the world and the Power Development Platform, a
no-charge development cloud for developers to test and port
x86-based applications to the Power platform.
Building upon that commitment, IBM today unveiled two Linux
developments that fortify rapid cloud innovation on POWER8
systems:
- availability of Ubuntu Server 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu OpenStack and
Juju service orchestration tools, on POWER8 systems; and
- introduction of PowerKVM, a Power Systems-compatible version of
the popular Linux-based virtualization platform KVM, on all POWER8
systems that run Linux exclusively.
IBM's collaboration with Canonical, the commercial sponsor of
Ubuntu with more than 20 million users worldwide, provides easy
migration for applications to Linux for cloud deployments to
deliver Big Data and mobile software applications and to boost the
performance of existing applications across cloud platforms. IBM is
offering the latest release of Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu OpenStack and
Canonical's Juju cloud orchestration tools on the new Power Systems
announced today and all future POWER8-based systems.
This complements the existing support by IBM for Red Hat and
SUSE Linux operating system distributions on its complete lineup of
Power Systems.
Power Systems Scale-Out Servers: Changing Data Center
Economics
The first POWER8-based systems to debut are five Power Systems
S-Class servers designed for large, scale-out computing
environments. With industry-leading server quality and
utilization levels, the new line-up redefines today's data center
economics – by helping to reduce floor space, power and cooling
costs. IBM has designed these systems to operate at
industry-leading levels of efficiency, guaranteeing the system will
perform as warranted while at a sustained 65% utilization -- a rate
higher than common x86 utilization levels.3 With twice
the data throughput compared to an x86-based server, the new Power
Systems can help cut data center footprints in
half.4
With availability beginning June
10, 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.
Available in 1 and 2 socket and 2U and 4U configurations, the
starting price of the new servers is $79735 ($200/month for 36 months).6
Financing Available
IBM Global Financing helps clients acquire Power Systems
solutions with a single financing solution to better manage their
cloud and big data infrastructure, and accelerate business
transformation. Financing programs and offerings help clients
better match the benefits of reduced upfront costs and faster
return on investment within existing budget commitments.
Credit-qualified clients may obtain 0% loans or Fair Market Value
leasing and loans with customized payment plans. IBM Global Asset
Recovery Services provides buyback and disposal services for
removal of older IT equipment.
About IBM Big Data and Analytics
Each day, we create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data generated by a
variety of sources -- from climate information, to posts on social
media sites, and from purchase transaction records to healthcare
medical images. At IBM, we believe that data is emerging as the
world's newest resource for competitive advantage, and analytics is
the key to make sense of it. IBM is helping clients harness Big
Data and analytics to provide insights needed to make better
decisions, create value, and deliver that value to clients and
society. IBM has the world's deepest and broadest portfolio of Big
Data and analytics technologies and solutions, spanning services,
software, research and hardware. For more information about IBM Big
Data and analytics, visit http://ibm.co/bigdataanalytics.
Follow IBM Big Data and analytics on Twitter @IBMbigdata and
@IBMAnalytics.
For more information, go to the Power Systems launch page at
http://www.ibm.com/systems/power/announcement.html. Join the
conversation at #power8, #powersystems or follow
@IBMPowerSystems.
1 See Technical Downloads section on the OpenPOWER
Foundation website at
http://openpowerfoundation.org/technical/technical-downloads/
2 Based on IBM internal tests as of April 7, 2014 comparing IBM DB2 with BLU
Acceleration on Power with a comparably tuned competitor row store
database server on x86 executing a materially identical 2.6TB BI
workload in a controlled laboratory environment. Test measured 60
concurrent user report throughput executing identical Cognos report
workloads. Competitor configuration: HP DL380p, 24 cores, 256GB
RAM, Competitor row-store database, SuSE Linux 11SP3 (Database) and
HP DL380p, 16 cores, 384GB RAM, Cognos 10.2.1.1, SuSE Linux 11SP3
(Cognos). IBM configuration: IBM S824, 24 cores, 256GB RAM, DB2
10.5, AIX 7.1 TL2 (Database) and IBM S822L, 16 of 20 cores
activated, 384GB RAM, Cognos 10.2.1.1, SuSE Linux 11SP3 (Cognos).
Results may not be typical and will vary based on actual workload,
configuration, applications, queries and other variables in a
production environment.
3 Applies for 90 days following date of installation to
POWER8 systems announced today that are purchased by December 31, 2014 and running specified workloads
on PowerVM. Subject to all other terms and conditions of the
guarantee, including a minimum purchase requirement.
4 Source: Capacity based on IBM Sizing of typical system
performance and 3rd party analysis of system utilization (Source -
http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/power/software/virtualization/assets/platformmatters.html)
. This is an IBM sizing designed to replicate a typical IBM
customer workload used in the marketplace. The results are
calculated and not an actual customer environment. IBM's internal
workload studies are not benchmark applications and as such,
customer applications, differences in the stack deployed, and other
systems variations or conditions may produce different results and
may vary based on actual configuration, applications, specific
queries and other variables in a production environment.
Power S822L - 34 servers (2S, 24 cores each), 816 total cores,
POWER8, 3.0GHz, PowerVM. Commodity x86 servers - 100 servers
(2S, 24 cores each), 2400 total cores, Ivy Bridge E5-2697 v2, 2.7GHz, VMware vSphere
Ent. 100 x86 servers needed for ~ equal virtualized
throughput of 34 Power S822L.
5 All prices in U.S. dollars.
6 Per month rate based on 36 month fair market value
lease from IBM Global Financing in the U.S. for well qualified
lessee. IBM Global Financing offerings are provided through IBM
Credit LLC in the United States,
IBM Canada Ltd. in Canada, and
other IBM subsidiaries and divisions worldwide to qualified
commercial and government clients. Rates and availability are based
on a client's credit rating, financing terms, offering type,
equipment type and options, and may vary by country. Some offerings
are not available in certain countries. Other restrictions may
apply. Rates and offerings are subject to change, extension or
withdrawal without notice.
Contact:
Kristin Bryson
kabryson@us.ibm.com
914-766-4221
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO
SOURCE IBM