Over the years, IBM's z/OS operating system has remained the trusted foundation for enterprises that depend upon unmatched reliability, scalability, and security. With the release of the z/OS 3.2 planned for September 30, 2025. IBM is building on this unmatched legacy with new capabilities designed to support in-line or on the fly AI and hybrid cloud strategies while fully aligning with the new IBM z17 mainframe.
This latest version of the operating system is designed to help organizations modernize core applications, accelerate insights, and simplify management, while maintaining the high level of security and performance everyone expects from IBM Z. It will play a critical role in helping enterprises unlock the value of their mainframe data, combining modern APIs, with a variety of new AI capabilities and streamlined access to data across hybrid cloud environments.
Fuelling innovation and growth with AI
IBM is continuing to infuse on the fly AI and analytics into the operating system to help businesses integrate intelligent automation and unlock deeper data insights, without any impact on transactional performance. For example, z/OS 3.2 includes a robust AI stack optimized for the IBM z17's Telum II processor and Spyre AI Accelerator, enabling organizations to run both traditional and generative AI models while keeping sensitive data in place.
There are industry standard APIs to make z/OS transaction processing data accessible in hybrid cloud and AI environments. DFSMSdfp Cloud Data Access (CDA) and DFSMS Object Access Method (OAM) enable seamless integration into an enterprise-wide data fabric through industry-standard cloud APIs.
The new ExNoSQL APIs (Python, Java, COBOL, C) for building scalable databases and performing predictive modelling natively on z/OS are another part of the z/OS 3.2's AI ecosystem.
Transforming and automating for efficiency
AI functionality to optimize system resources includes an AI-Powered WLM Initiator Management that predicts workload spikes and proactively starts batch initiators to meet demand. AI Infused Network Packet Batching helps to reduce network CPU overhead with minimal impact to transaction latency.
An AI Framework for IBM z/OS provides a centralized way to configure and manage AI capabilities across the operating system.
Many users will also welcome the improvements to JES2 that make it easier to allocate and manage data sets that are written to the spool.
Guiding the next generation
To help guide the next generation of system programmers, z/OS 3.2 continues to simplify and automate the management of the operating system.
For example, z/OSMF has greatly simplified the management of PARMLIB by driving consistent syntax validation of many z/OS PARMLIB members using REST APIs, thereby reducing the risks of errors with minimal skill or effort required. Similarly, a new set of REST APIs has been added to the z/OSMF Software Update application, providing functionality for automating software update installations.
A new user interface and APIs for storage management provide a consistent and intuitive way for early tenure administrators to perform z/OS storage management tasks, reducing the manual steps, skills, and time required for new users to become productive.
Enhancing cyber resiliency and security
The z/OS 3.2 extends IBM's commitment to cyber resilience with enhanced quantum-safe cryptography, pervasive encryption, threat detection, and simplified certificate management with a variety of key features.
IBM Threat Detection for z/OS (TDz) and new quarantine functionality through RACF user id containment will support enhanced cyber threat mitigation, while quantum-safe algorithms aligned with NIST standards will help to future-proof client data.
There is also expanded encryption to support more data types - including the ability to move encrypted data without decryption - and RACF enhancements, such as multi-alternate name certificate support to address digital certificate simplification requests.
Conclusion: Advancing the IBM Z ecosystem
To summarise, z/OS 3.2 is advancing the IBM Z ecosystem by building on the strengths of its predecessors, with a focus on several key areas.
It is delivering enhanced on platform AI and hybrid cloud capabilities through support for various AI technologies and open-source frameworks, along with seamless hybrid cloud integration. There are improvements in cyber resiliency with advanced security features, such as expanded quantum-safe encryption. Meanwhile, operational efficiency is boosted through AI and automation, with enhancements in system management and the introduction of new automation tools.