IBM z17 Mainframe to Power AI Adoption at Scale
The z17 is designed to drive innovation and deliver business value across industries at scale.
Topics
News
- Why Cloud Security Is Breaking — And How Leaders Can Fix It
- IBM z17 Mainframe to Power AI Adoption at Scale
- Global GenAI Spending to Hit $644 Billion by 2025, Gartner Projects
- e& enterprise Partners with MIT Sloan Management Review Middle East for GovTech Conclave 2025
- More than 80% of Saudi CEOs adopted an AI-first approach in 2024, study finds
- UiPath Test Cloud Brings AI-Driven Automation to Software Testing
[Image source: Krishna Prasad/MITSMR Middle East]
On 10th April, IBM introduced the z17—the latest evolution of its iconic mainframe platform, now fully integrated with AI across hardware, software, and operations. Powered by the new IBM Telum II processor, the z17 extends beyond traditional transactional AI to support broader, more complex enterprise workloads.
Engineered for AI at scale, the z17 enables enterprises to score 100% of their transactions in real time and perform 50% more AI inference operations daily compared to the z16. Supporting over 250 use cases—including loan risk assessment, medical image analysis, and retail fraud detection—the z17 is designed to drive innovation and deliver business value across industries.
Developed over five years, with more than 300 patent applications filed, the IBM z17 introduces multi-model AI, advanced security, and AI-driven tools for system management and usability. Expected to be widely available on 18th June 2025, the z17 boasts a second-generation on-chip AI accelerator that powers the system, while the upcoming IBM Spyre™ Accelerator (expected Q4 2025) will enhance generative AI capabilities directly on the mainframe.
According to Ross Mauri, General Manager of IBM Z and LinuxONE, the z17 brings AI to the heart of enterprise IT infrastructure by combining software, processing power, and storage to operationalize AI swiftly and securely.
IBM also previewed z/OS 3.2, set for release in Q3 2025, and introduced IBM Z Operations Unite, arriving in May 2025, to streamline IT operations using real-time system data and AI insights. Security updates include IBM Vault for centralized secrets management and AI-powered threat detection with IBM Threat Detection for z/OS.
Paired with the new IBM Storage DS8000 (10th Generation), the z17 offers a resilient, secure infrastructure for mission-critical workloads.
