IBM has announced the availability of a new generation of IBM Power servers designed for frictionless and scalable hybrid cloud computing.
The new Power E1080 server delivers 2.5x the performance per core of x86-based servers and establishes a new world record for SAP 8-socket systems.
The E1080 is the first server in a new family of servers powered by IBM’s new Power10 processor and optimised for hybrid cloud environments. According to IBM, the Power10-equipped E1080 server is engineered to be one of the most secure server platforms available and is intended to assist clients in implementing a secure, frictionless hybrid cloud experience across their entire IT infrastructure.
The Power E1080 server, according to IBM, is launching at a critical time for IT. According to the company, as organisations worldwide adapt to unpredictable changes in consumer behaviour and needs, they require a platform capable of securely delivering their applications and insights where and when they are needed. According to the IBM Institute of Business Value’s 2021 CEO Study, 56 percent of 3,000 CEOs surveyed stressed the importance of operational agility and flexibility when asked what they would pursue most aggressively over the next two to three years.
“When we designed the E1080, we had to consider how the pandemic would affect not only consumer behaviour but also the behaviour and needs of our customers’ IT infrastructure,” says Dylan Boday, IBM’s VP of product management for AI and hybrid cloud.
“The E1080 is IBM’s first system built from the ground up for hybrid cloud environments, a system designed from the ground up to serve as the foundation for our vision of a dynamic, secure, frictionless hybrid cloud experience.”
The new IBM E1080 introduces several key features, including:
- Enhancements for a hybrid cloud-like industry-first. With by-the-minute metering of Red Hat software, including Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 4.1x greater OpenShift containerised throughput per core vs x86-based servers, architectural consistency and cloud-like flexibility across the entire hybrid cloud environment.
- New hardware-driven performance improvements. These deliver up to 50% more performance and scalability than its predecessor, the IBM Power E980, reducing energy use and the carbon footprint of the E980. The E1080 also features four matrix maths accelerators per core, enabling 5x faster inference performance than the E980.
- New security tools for hybrid cloud environments. Including transparent memory encryption, so there is no additional management setup, 4x the encryption engines per core, allowing for 2.5x faster AES encryption compared to the IBM Power E980, and security software for every level of the system stack.
- An ecosystem of ISVs, business partners, and support. Broadening the capabilities of the IBM Power E1080 and how customers can build their hybrid cloud environment, including record-setting performance for SAP applications in an 8-socket system.
IBM is also launching a new tiered Power Expert Care service to help clients protect their systems against the latest cybersecurity threats.
