IBM’s LinuxONE Emperor 5: Where Old Meets New in Mainframe Technology
When thinking of mainframes, images of spinning tape drives, reams of computer cards, and text-only terminals often come to mind. However, IBM’s latest offering, the LinuxONE Emperor 5, is a far cry from its predecessors. As the fifth generation of IBM’s flagship LinuxONE platform, this mainframe is engineered to deliver unprecedented levels of security, cost-efficiency, and AI acceleration for mission-critical enterprise workloads.
At the heart of the LinuxONE Emperor 5 is the new IBM Telum II processor, manufactured using Samsung’s 5 nm process technology. This processor features eight high-performance cores running at 5.5GHz, a significant 40% increase in on-chip cache capacity, and a dedicated next-generation on-chip AI accelerator capable of up to 24 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This represents a four-fold increase in compute power compared to its predecessor.
Enhanced AI Capabilities
The LinuxONE Emperor 5 also supports the IBM Spyre Accelerator, designed for AI users seeking maximum power. This mainframe contains 32 AI accelerator cores that share a similar architecture with the AI accelerator integrated into the Telum II chip. Multiple IBM Spyre Accelerators can be connected to the I/O Subsystem of IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE via PCIe, with shipments expected to begin in the last quarter of 2025.
To make the most of this hardware, IBM has updated its AI Toolkit for IBM LinuxONE, optimized for Telum II. This update streamlines developer productivity and AI deployment. A technology preview of Red Hat OpenShift AI and OpenShift Virtualization on LinuxONE 5 is now available, allowing clients to manage traditional VMs and containerized workloads through a unified interface on OpenShift Container Platform.
Advanced Security Features
IBM LinuxONE 5 comes equipped with advanced security features tailored to the evolving threat landscape. The platform extends IBM’s end-to-end cybersecurity approach, featuring confidential computing where data remains encrypted even in memory. It also includes NIST-standardized post-quantum cryptographic algorithms and a cutting-edge hardware security module. Integration with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform ensures sensitive AI models and data remain protected, even against harvest-now, decrypt-later attacks anticipated in the post-quantum era.
Operational Efficiency and Cost Savings
With a focus on operational efficiency, IBM LinuxONE 5 enables organizations to consolidate workloads from multiple servers onto a single high-capacity system. IBM claims this consolidation can reduce the total cost of ownership by up to 44% over five years compared to x86 alternatives. The system is designed to deliver up to 99.999999% availability, supporting business continuity and risk reduction while addressing the demands of data-intensive, AI-enabled businesses.
As Tina Tarquinio, chief product officer at IBM Z and LinuxONE, noted, “With this launch, we’re delivering a platform that not only meets today’s security and efficiency challenges but is ready for the next wave of AI-driven innovation.” The LinuxONE Emperor 5 will run Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for LinuxOne, as its name suggests.
In summary, the IBM LinuxONE Emperor 5 represents a significant leap forward in mainframe technology, combining enhanced AI capabilities, advanced security features, and operational efficiency. This makes it an attractive solution for organizations looking to leverage AI and hybrid cloud environments.
