IBM is expanding its existing IBM z17 and LinuxONE portfolios with new server configurations that are designed to address a broader range of enterprise business needs. By introducing new rack-mounted, single-frame and entry-level options, IBM is making the high-performance, secure and resilient enterprise computing technology it is renowned for accessible to a wider range of organizations.

The new configurations are designed to expand access to IBM's advanced on-premises AI capabilities while helping enterprises tackle growing data center space, energy and cost constraints.

Tom McPherson, General Manager, IBM Z and LinuxONE, explained that the new systems are focused on "making it easier to run workloads where they make the most sense, while opening the door for a wider range of organizations to benefit from these technologies for the first time."

What has been announced?

IBM has added two new IBM z17 system configurations, expanding the available deployment options for the flagship z17 mainframe, which was launched in April 2025:

• The new IBM z17 single-frame system is a fully packaged solution housed in an IBM rack with intelligent power distribution units (iPDUs). Available as a complete enclosed unit it is ready to deploy, giving customers the flexibility to co-locate other technologies within the same frame. It is intended for customers that want IBM Z in a traditional integrated appliance, but don't need the largest multi-frame enterprise configuration.
• The IBM z17 rack-mount systems are designed for customers who don't require a dedicated IBM cabinet. They allow enterprises to install IBM Z components directly into their own standard data center racks. They help to optimize data center space, integrate IBM Z into existing environments and provide the flexibility to run IBM Z alongside non-IBM technologies.

IBM has also expanded the LinuxONE 5 portfolio of servers beyond the IBM LinuxONE Emperor 5 (launched last year) with two new systems:

• The IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 5, a scalable, multi-drawer LinuxONE system for high-density workloads. It is available in single-frame and rack-mounted configurations and includes on-chip AI acceleration, confidential computing, and post-quantum cryptography. It is designed for organizations that want to consolidate Linux workloads while retaining enterprise-grade performance, resilience and security.
• The IBM LinuxONE 5 Express is a new entry-level model. It is a single 19-inch rack-mountable system that fits into standard data center racks alongside existing x86 servers. It is a preconfigured system designed to get organizations running on IBM LinuxONE quickly, on the same architecture with no special floor space, cooling or power requirements.

What are the three main drivers for the new systems?

1. Helping enterprises do more with less data center energy and space

Data centers are becoming more expensive to build and operate. IBM's press release quotes CBRE's 2026 Global Data Center Trend Report, which reveals that enterprises are facing record-low data center vacancy rates and rising rental costs.

At the same time, enterprises are under increasing pressure to support AI alongside their existing mission-critical workloads, forcing them to make tough decisions about how they can optimize performance, run AI efficiently and safely and improve data center efficiency.

The new configurations allow customers to integrate IBM enterprise technology into existing environments while optimizing floor space and improving energy efficiency.

The new single-frame and rack-mounted z17 systems provide enterprise computing capabilities in more compact deployment options. They can support up to 82 cores and provide a significant 18 TB of memory across two processor drawers. They are powered by the advanced Telum II processor, which delivers a 10% single-threaded improvement and up to 20% greater capacity overall than the previous generation z16 mainframe systems.

IBM Fellow Marcel Mitran said that the LinuxONE Rockhopper 5 server is aimed at organizations that are ready to consolidate a substantial portion of their x86 server estate. Combined with its smaller physical footprint, this can help free up data center space and reduce power consumption.

2. Bringing AI to where enterprise data already lives

AI has now progressed beyond pilot projects to live production processes. Enterprises want to operationalize AI at scale, deploying it securely and responsibly to deliver ROI to the business.

Many organizations have their most valuable data sitting inside core enterprise systems. They want to avoid moving that data to another platform to run AI due to potential latency and security and compliance concerns associated with sensitive data. They want to run AI where their data is, close to where transactions happen and where business decisions are made.

The new z17 and LinuxONE configurations continue IBM's strategy of bringing AI acceleration to traditional enterprise workloads, rather than requiring organizations to move their data and workloads to a separate AI platform.

The new single-frame and rack-mount systems deliver advanced multi-model AI inferencing through the IBM Telum II processor with its on-chip AI accelerator. They also include support for the IBM Spyre Accelerator, which adds more AI compute capacity for larger generative AI models and more complex AI workloads.

3. Making IBM enterprise computing more accessible

Historically, there has long been a perception that IBM Z and LinuxONE were designed primarily for the world's largest enterprises. These new systems broaden both portfolios with single-frame and rack-mounted options, as well as the new LinuxONE 5 Express. They give customers more deployment flexibility while retaining the same underlying secure, resilient, high-performance enterprise technology.

Organizations can now choose a configuration that is the best fit for the size of their workloads, their available space, their deployment preferences and their existing environment and goals. The new systems open the door for businesses who may previously have viewed IBM Z or LinuxONE as being too big, or the scale of their requirements too complex and difficult to deploy.

The expansion of the z17 and LinuxONE portfolios is designed to help enterprises tackle growing data center challenges, integrate AI where enterprise data already resides, and make IBM's enterprise computing infrastructure more accessible to organizations that might previously have believed it was out of their league.