IBM pushes AI on z17 mainframes

IBM is investing in artificial intelligence integrated into its z17 mainframes, with the goal of modernizing COBOL infrastructures and reducing costs. The company sees generative AI as a solution to compensate for the shortage of technicians specialized in COBOL.

For those evaluating on-premise deployments, there are trade-offs to consider carefully. AI-RADAR offers analytical frameworks on /llm-onpremise to evaluate these aspects.

Background

Mainframes continue to be relevant in sectors such as finance and insurance, where they manage critical transactions and sensitive data. The ability to run AI workloads directly on the mainframe could improve security, reduce latency, and optimize costs compared to cloud-based solutions.