Two-in-one: IBM’s new 2-nm processor brings dual-architecture computing to mainframes

IBM has unveiled a 2-nanometer processor designed to bring Arm computing directly into its mainframe systems, allowing enterprises to run Arm-native Linux alongside existing IBM workloads. Announced at the Hot Chips conference, the processor is the first dual-architecture mainframe chip from IBM and is being developed for future IBM Z and LinuxONE systems. It is the first hardware milestone from IBM’s collaboration with Arm, established in April. The chip is designed to let organizations run Arm applications without moving those workloads to separate servers. At the same time, existing z/OS and Linux applications can continue running on the same enterprise infrastructure. That could give IBM customers access to software developed for the Arm ecosystem while retaining the security, reliability and availability features associated with IBM’s mainframe platforms. The Arm ecosystem now includes more than 22 million developers worldwide. Two architectures, one processor The processor uses a 2-nanometer manufacturing process and contains 11 high-performance cores capable of operating above 5.7 GHz. It also includes AI inference accelerators aimed at workloads such as in-transaction fraud detection. A key part of the design is that IBM did not build separate Arm and IBM cores. Instead, each core can natively execute Arm and IBM Z or LinuxONE instructions. This allows the two software environments to operate within the same processor architecture. The chip also includes a dedicated on-chip data processing unit designed to accelerate I/O operations, along with a large cache architecture for demanding enterprise workloads. IBM says its Z and LinuxONE platforms can scale to hundreds of cores and tens of terabytes of memory. That gives the new processor a path into systems handling large transaction-processing and data-intensive workloads. “As organizations modernize their application portfolios and integrate AI into core business operations, they need infrastructure that expands their options,” said Christian Jacobi, Chief Technology Officer and IBM Fellow, IBM Systems Development. “This processor represents a significant architectural advancement for IBM Z and LinuxONE. By bringing Arm natively to our platform, we’re combining access to one of the industry’s fastest-growing software ecosystems with the qualities that have made IBM systems the foundation for how businesses run today.” Arm moves into mainframes Arm processors have become widely used across cloud infrastructure, mobile devices and increasingly AI computing. IBM’s move brings that software compatibility into a class of systems traditionally built around its own processor architecture. For enterprises, the change could make it easier to adopt Arm-based applications while keeping workloads inside infrastructure designed for high availability and security. IBM also says Arm workloads will have access to hardware-level fault detection and recovery, encryption, secure key management and AI acceleration. “As AI scales, more of the computing landscape is converging on Arm,” said Mohamed Awad, Executive Vice President, Cloud AI, Arm. “IBM Z and LinuxONE power some of the world’s most demanding workloads in highly regulated industries. Bringing Arm compute and its software ecosystem to these platforms will extend that momentum into mission-critical enterprise infrastructure to give organizations greater choice in how they deploy AI.”The processor is still under development, and IBM has not announced when systems using it will become commercially available. The company said the design marks a step toward giving enterprises more flexibility in where they run newer Arm-based software.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.With over a decade-long career in journalism, Neetika Walter has worked with The Economic Times, ANI, and Hindustan Times, covering politics, business, technology, and the clean energy sector. Passionate about contemporary culture, books, poetry, and storytelling, she brings depth and insight to her writing. When she isn’t chasing stories, she’s likely lost in a book or enjoying the company of her dogs.