IBM cheapens Oracle by delivering power-up for POWER server • The Register

IBM has delivered on its December 2022 “assertion of route” that it might announce “a high-density 24-core processor for the IBM Energy S1014 system” with information that the “processor” is definitely a CPU module with two dozen cores for stated server.

The change nonetheless signifies that the S1014 – a single socket machine that is the least mighty of Huge Blue’s POWER server vary – is now supplied with triple its earlier most core rely, and 192 threads prospects can put to work.

IBM’s advised use for the machine is operating Oracle Database Commonplace Version 2, as Huge Purple’s license for that software is charged by the socket, not by the core. Packing in an additional 16 cores due to this fact makes the S1014 a greater proposition for Oracle customers.

Huge Blue’s additionally proven SAP customers some love in the event that they run the Energy L1022 and the Energy L1024 servers, which at the moment are supplied reminiscence bundles that embrace an optionally available quantity of reminiscence and three years of IBM Energy Knowledgeable Care Superior help.

Patrons can even want a subscription for Purple Hat or Suse enterprise Linux, within the cuts of these OSes tailor-made to SAP on POWER, plus a three-year dedication to PowerVM.

Additional Huge Blue licensing adjustments additionally landed on Tuesday within the type of subscriptions for its IBMi working system, throughout all of its software program tiers. These plans have been introduced on the identical day as a withdrawal of some {hardware} subscription options.

POWER server customers can even plug in a brand new IBM NVMe module that brings 800GB, 1.2TB, 3.72TB or 6.4TB of capability to a number of fashions.

As our sibling publication The Subsequent Platform not too long ago reported, analyst agency IDC predicted that $14 billion will probably be spent on non-x86 servers throughout 2023, and develop at a sooner price than x86 gross sales.

IBM has for years been the most important vendor of non-x86 servers, and nearly the one participant left standing (aside from Fujitsu and Oracle). However Huge Blue’s POWER and Z platforms stay very profitable and each platforms are in improve cycles.

The adjustments introduced on Tuesday will assist the POWER platform to maintain its gross sales momentum.

However Huge Blue now not has the non-x86 market to itself: Arm not too long ago asserted that its chip designs energy 5 p.c of the server fleets throughout AWS, Azure, and Google clouds. Whereas Arm is making inroads at hyperscalers, few recommend it’ll do likewise within the form of on-prem roles at which POWER programs excel.

Certainly, making inroads there will probably be even tougher now that the 24-core module makes the S1014 a greater choice for Oracle workloads. ®