IBM Debuts AI Mainframe, LinuxONE Emperor 5
IBM, Friday, May 9th, 2025
IBM has released the newest version of its LinuxOne mainframe series-a machine format first popularized by IBM in the 1960s-with a set of specs built for today's artificial intelligence- (AI) driven tech infrastructure.
The LinuxOne Emperor 5 mainframe contains the Telum II processor, a chip with the robust processing power to handle an impressive 450 billion AI inference operations in a single day.
'The unveiling of the IBM LinuxOne Emperor 5 marks a significant step in IBM's ongoing evolution within the hybrid cloud landscape and also a continuation of a 25-year journey with Linux on the s390x chip architecture,' wrote Steven Dickens, CEO of HyperFRAME Research, in an article. 'IBM is focusing this new server to cater to enterprises grappling with the complexities of modern IT, where the need for robust security, exceptional performance, and seamless integration across diverse environments is paramount.'
IBM's Telum II chip is built with a second-generation on-chip AI accelerator. The Telum is fabricated using Samsung's 5 nm process technology and contains eight cores running 5.5GHz, which gives it a 40% boost in cache size over its earlier version. The Telum's AI accelerator boasts 24 trillion operations per second.