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IBM launches new Linux, Power8, OpenPower systems

The systems are aimed at high-performance analytics and big data workloads. Nvidia's technology is tightly integrated.
Written by Larry Dignan, Contributor
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Image: IBM

IBM on Thursday rolled out its latest Power8 processor, which is designed to move data faster, and new servers with OpenPower features.

For IBM, the OpenPower Foundation community is critical for its Power8 processor. A bevy of companies are in OpenPower, a group that aims to be a counterweight to x86-based servers.

With the new systems, IBM is hoping to target more artificial intelligence, analytics, and deep learning workloads. The systems will be lumped into the Power Systems LC family of Linux servers.

Big Blue's Power S822LC for High Performance Computing server is the headliner of the group, with the Power8 processor with Nvidia's Tesla P100 Pascal GPUs. The system also has Nvidia's NVLink processor that allows for high-speed bidirectional interconnects. IBM said the combination of IBM and Nvidia technology allows data to flow five times faster than an x86-based system.

The Power S822LC has been pretested and ordered by a large retailer and the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The ORNL systems will be a test-bed to develop applications for its Summit, an IBM-built supercomputer being delivered in 2017.

In addition to the Power S822LC are the Power S821LC and the Power S822LC for big data. These systems have tight Nvidia integration as well as high-speed interconnects.

The Power S822LC will ship Sept. 26, and the other systems are available now.

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