IBM Power8, Power9 and Power10 are some of the world’s most popular enterprise computing processors, used for mission-critical workloads in large businesses and organizations worldwide. Primarily used as data-handling processors for financial services, large databases, ERP environments (such as SAP), analytics, and increasingly for AI and hybrid cloud scenarios, the IBM Power family of servers are designed to respond quickly to adapting needs while securing core operations.
Yet with at least three different versions on the market at the current time, it’s important that organizations understand which server will work best for their demands and idiosyncrasies in requirement.
What is the IBM Power Architecture?
The IBM Power architecture is a family of enterprise servers used by businesses within their data center infrastructure. The IBM Power family is a RISC-based design that aims to emphasise high throughput, scalability and thorough virtualization.
Those who use IBM Power servers tend to continue to use them due to their compatibility across generations, which is seen as a financial benefit. Workloads developed for older versions of IBM Power servers can typically run on newer versions with minimal changes – which is crucial to those organizations who can’t afford disruptive migrations or frequent re-writes. As such, IBM has bought great product loyalty amongst the IBM Power architecture.
The IBM Power systems support multiple operating environments and are usually deployed in data center environments that need high availability and consistent performance during peak times or loads. This is where the IBM Power servers really stand out, as more common general-purpose x86 systems simply don’t have the integration of as many advanced tech capabilities to handle such heavy demands of transaction processing, virtualization, real-time analytics and large-scale databases.
What are the differences between IBM Power8, Power9, and Power10?
As tech has developed and business demands changed, IBM has upgraded its Power servers to newer models. Rather than just installing chip updates, IBM has shaped each version of the product family to better meet the needs of its customers and offer better protection and security. For example, Power10 emphasizes modern hybrid cloud and AI workloads, and introduces new tech such as memory sharing across nodes and in-core AI acceleration, as well as embedded hardware-level protection such as transparent memory encryption.
IBM Power8 was introduced in 2014. It was designed for parallel throughput and enterprise workloads, featuring up to 12 cores with support for eight-way simultaneous multithreading (SMT8). This allowed each core to handle eight hardware threads concurrently. It also included a large on-chip cache hierarchy, including substantial L3 and even L4 caches in some systems. This reduced access latency and gave good performance for large datasets. Most Power8 systems reached their EOSL (End of Service Life) in 2024.
IBM Power9 was launched three years later, in 2017. It introduced a 14 nm process (Power8’s was 22 nm), to embed higher transistor density and better energy efficiency. This was combined with a modular core architecture that meant it worked more efficiently than its predecessor, with better single-thread performance. Power9’s chips could be built with SMT4 or SMT8 cores, depending on the configuration – which meant it was optimized for both scale-out and scale-up workloads. Power9 processors reached their EOSL in January 2026.
Launched between 2021 and 2022, IBM Power10 debuted on a 7 nm process, proving an even bigger tech development. This smaller fabrication node increased transistor density dramatically compared to Power9, at up to 120 hardware threads per socket. Power10 cores included larger private L2 caches and enhanced execution resources, and they support new ISA extensions that improve throughput for vector and AI-oriented operations. What’s more, Power10 also introduced innovations such as Open Memory Interface (OMI), which broadens memory type support, and PowerAXON, enabling coherent memory sharing across systems — a major advance for clustering and large shared memory pools. Additionally, PCIe Gen5 support further accelerates I/O, while built-in matrix math units and AI acceleration capabilities reflect the increasing importance of AI inference workloads.
Is there an IBM Power11?
The IBM Power11 processor was announced in July 2025, and has been released but is not yet widely used. It is designed for AI-native workloads and offers high-performance, secure hybrid cloud computing. It works with better energy efficiency than previous IBM Power models, and is marketed as 55% better in performance values than the Power9. Features of the Power11 include built-in AI acceleration, quantum-safe security, and reduced planned downtime for maintenance.
Do I need to upgrade to a newer IBM Power model?
It is common for those using older IBM Power models to upgrade to newer versions – but it may not need to happen right away. The need for an upgrade depends on workloads, risk tolerance and growth plans, as well as the hardware’s age and functionality.
In order to put forward a business case for an upgrade, an organization will need to consider if they are impacted by any of the following:
- Performance bottlenecks
- Security and compliance requirements
- Software support timelines
- Rising maintenance costs
- Data growth
- Adoption of AI practices.
Upgrading from IBM Power8
IBM Power8 is now well into its extended lifecycle, and so is only covered by Third Party Maintenance solutions for support. If any of the following are becoming an issue, it may be worth considering an upgrade:
- Rising power (and cooling) costs
- Limited performance headroom
- Lagging modern encryption and security capabilities.
Upgrading from Power8 does hold benefits in consolidation. Many Power8 workloads can run on a much smaller Power10 system with significantly lower core counts due to performance gains per core.
Those operating on Power8 should either:
- Invest in a thorough and guaranteed Third Party Maintenance solution; OR
- Plan to upgrade.
The former option can maintain hardware’s lifespan for many years – and if it is still functioning at a capability acceptable to the business, should be the first port of call.
Upgrading from IBM Power9
While Power9 is now somewhat outdated, it still functions fantastically and so an upgrade is not necessarily immediately required. However, if any of the following are impacting the business, an upgrade may require consideration:
- Energy efficiency demands
- Lagging performance per watt
- Increasing virtualization.
If the workloads being processed through Power9 are stable and without much fluctuation, there is usually little need to change systems. However, if operations are scaling, modernizing or consolidating and the need for additional performance becomes large rather than just incremental, an upgrade may be needed.
Again, Power9 is supported by Third Party Maintenance solutions and providing it still offers what a business requires, this can extend the lifespan of hardware for many years to come – saving the organization in both financial and sustainable terms.
Upgrading from IBM Power10
It is usually only necessary for businesses to upgrade from Power10 to Power11 for strategic purposes, as opposed to technical. If an organization is strategizing and preparing AI acceleration or significant efficiency gains. An upgrade is really only required if new capabilities are required and not just generational improvement.
Investing in Third Party Maintenance for IBM Power servers
There is no need to simply upgrade to a newer IBM Power model simply because a newer version is available. A strong and robust family of servers, the IBM Power family is known for their longevity and reliability – and with Third Party Maintenance services to pick up maintenance and servicing where OEM support ends, their lifespan can be vastly extended and assets ‘sweated’ for as long as possible.
Procurri offer comprehensive server management both physically and virtually, ensuring not only the actual physical upkeep of hardware but also the management of software, security and back-up systems as well as the management of Virtual Machines (VMs). Further to basic maintenance and monitoring, we extend services to include:
- Pro-active monitoring; identifying issues before they escalate or even occur
- Updates to software, upgrades to hardware (including physical installation)
- Kapazitätsplanung
- Asset re-distribution and re-configuration for changing performance needs
- Planung der Konsolidierung.
What’s more, Procurri’s global presence allows for an around-the-clock presence, 24/7, 365 days a year. We have Level 3 and 4 engineers and technicians available at all times for both remote and in-person support, and can work on a range of customizable SLAs to ensure our support is exactly right for your organization’s needs.
Alongside holding the largest global stockholding of new and refurbished data center hardware worldwide; ideal for the rapid sourcing and installation of spare parts as and when needed; we offer support spanning all major OEMs and a myriad of complex custom configurations. Why burden your under-resources or inexperienced in-house IT teams when we can guarantee minimum downtime wherever you are in the world?
Want to learn more and keep your IBM Power servers in use for longer? Get in touch with the Procurri team today.
