IBM reveals next-generation mainframe processor with native Arm support

IBM has revealed details regarding its next-generation mainframe processor, tentatively referred to as “z18.” A major technical shift in this upcoming hardware is the implementation of a native dual-ISA strategy, which allows the processor to natively support both traditional IBM Z instruction sets and Arm (AArch64) instructions through a unified decoder.

The new architecture is expected to utilize a 2nm process and features a clock speed of 5.7 GHz. Beyond the CPU cores, the chip includes a second-generation AI inference acceleration chipset and a dedicated Data Processing Unit (DPU). The design also incorporates advanced memory management features, such as Virtual L3 and Virtual L4 cache systems, which utilize inactive L2 cache segments to expand available memory capacity.

This development targets both the IBM Z series and the LinuxONE platform, the latter of which provides a 100% Linux-native environment using the same underlying hardware.