IBM Power11 debuts with uptime, security, and energy efficiency upgrades

IBM unveiled Power11 today, a new generation of Power servers built to improve performance across processing, hardware, and virtualization. It’s designed to run reliably both on-site and in IBM’s hybrid cloud.

Enterprises in banking, healthcare, retail and government depend on Power systems for mission-critical workloads. As AI becomes central, these firms face pressure to deploy more applications. IDC projects one billion new “logical apps” by 2028. IBM Power11 aims to handle that growth with uptime, security and automation.

Key highlights

• Ultra-high uptime: Power11 promises 99.9999% availability and zero planned downtime, letting maintenance happen without taking systems offline.
• Fast ransomware detection: With Power Cyber Vault, the system flags threats in under one minute. It also uses quantum-safe cryptography and immutable snapshots to guard against attacks.
• Better performance and scale: Power11 delivers up to 55% more core performance than Power9 and up to 45% more capacity in entry and mid-range models versus Power10.
• Built-in AI support: It includes on-chip inferencing and, later this year, will support the IBM Spyre Accelerator—a system‑on‑a‑chip for AI workloads, also compatible with IBM z17 and LinuxONE 5.
• Energy-efficient design: Power11 offers twice the performance per watt compared to x86 servers. Its new Energy Efficient Mode is up to 28% more efficient than Maximum Performance Mode.

Operating smarter, not harder

New features like autonomous patching and load-migration let Power11 systems adjust and update without IT intervention. It integrates with IBM Concert, using generative AI to find risks and automate fixes, starting with security patches. IBM Technology Lifecycle Services (TLS) adds 24/7 support and proactive health monitoring.

“With just 20 minutes and the help of watsonx Code Assistant for i on Power, I was able to investigate a report, trace the field logic, understand the calculation, and document the issue,” said Jasmine Kaczmarek, VP of Technology at MR Williams. “What had taken a senior developer six hours the day before, I was able to accomplish 18 times faster. That’s truly remarkable when you think about it. This kind of productivity gain is exactly what Power11 is designed for. By empowering developers to modernize core business applications faster and more confidently, AI-augmented tools built into the platform can help increase long-lasting business value.”