IBM reveals new generation of IBM Power servers for hybrid cloud environments

IBM has revealed the new generation of IBM Power servers for hybrid cloud environments. The new IBM Power E1080 server is the first series of servers based on the new IBM Power10 CPU and developed particularly for hybrid cloud settings. The IBM Power10-equipped E1080 server is meant to be one of the most secure server platforms, allowing clients to provide a safe, seamless hybrid cloud experience across their entire IT infrastructure.

The IBM Power E1080 server debuts at a pivotal juncture in the IT industry. As businesses around the world adapt to changing consumer habits and demands, they require a platform that can securely deliver their apps and data where and when they are needed. When asked what they’ll most aggressively pursue over the next two to three years, 56 percent of the 3,000 CEOs polled in the IBM Institute of Business Value’s 2021 CEO Study said they’ll focus on improving operational agility and flexibility.

Many believe that a hybrid cloud computing architecture, which mixes on-premises resources with cloud-based infrastructure and can provide up to 2.5x more value than a public cloud-only approach, is the answer to this problem. However, not every hybrid cloud model is created equal.

 “Organizations in the Middle East and Africa are recognizing that in order to be competitive in today’s marketplace, they need to be able to move with speed and flexibility to react to changes in their customers’ needs in real-time, while continuing to drive innovation,” said Idriss Janati, Director, Servers and Storage Solutions in IBM Middle East and Africa.

Further  commented, “The answer to this challenge is the IBM Power E1080 server that offers a frictionless, secure hybrid cloud platform with the ability to scale on demand across the entire infrastructure while allowing businesses to deploy containers to modernize the applications.”

The new IBM E1080 was designed to introduce several key features including:

• Enhancements for hybrid cloud  industry-first minute metering of Red Hat software, including Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 4.1x greater OpenShift containerized throughput per core vs x86-based servers, architectural consistency and cloud-like flexibility across the entire hybrid cloud environment to drive agility and improve costs without application refactoring, and architectural consistency and cloud-like flexibility across the entire hybrid cloud environment to drive agility and improve costs without application refactoring.
• New hardware-driven performance improvements can provide up to 50% more performance and scalability than its predecessor, the IBM Power E980, while also lowering energy consumption and carbon impact, allowing clients to accomplish more with less. In comparison to the E980, the E1080 has four matrix math accelerators per core, allowing for 5x quicker inference performance.
• New security tools designed for hybrid cloud environments Security software for every level of the system stack, including transparent memory encryption with no additional management setup, 4x the encryption engines per core,  allowing for 2.5x faster AES encryption than the IBM Power E980, and 4x the encryption engines per core, allowing for 2.5x faster AES encryption than the IBM Power E980.
• A robust ecosystem of ISVs, Business Partners, and support to demonstrate the IBM Power E1080’s capabilities and how users can design their hybrid cloud environment, including record-breaking performance for SAP® workloads in an 8-socket systemii With addition, IBM is introducing a new tiered Power Expert Care service to assist clients in protecting their systems against the latest cybersecurity threats while also ensuring hardware and software coherence and increased system uptime.

“When we were designing the E1080, we had to be cognizant of how the pandemic was changing not only consumer behavior, but also our customer’s behavior and needs from their IT infrastructure,” said Dylan Boday, VP of Product Management for AI and Hybrid Cloud.

Also noted,   “The E1080 is IBM’s first system designed from the silicon up for hybrid cloud environments, a system tailor-built to serve as the foundation for our vision of a dynamic and secure, frictionless hybrid cloud experience.”