IBM z16 Hardware Architecture and AI Acceleration

4/26/2022

This post provides a technical overview of the IBM z16 hardware, detailing its physical configuration (single-frame to 4-frame), processor capacity (up to 200 processors and 40TB memory), and the specifications of the IBM Telum processor. It highlights the Telum processor's 8 cores running at 5.2 GHz, its 32MB private L2 cache per core (1.5x capacity increase over z15), and its integrated AI Accelerator capable of over 6 TFLOPs per chip. The post also mentions the Crypto Express8S adapter's support for quantum-safe cryptography and its role in enabling quantum-resistant key lengths and algorithms.

9/22/2019

This post provides a detailed tour of the IBM z15 system's internal components, including its 19" rack form factor, multi-frame configurations (up to four frames), processor details (Single Chip Module with 12 cores, 9.2 billion transistors), memory capacity (40TB), PCIe control units, I/O offload processors, and LPARs. It highlights the air-cooled and water-cooled options, and details specific components like the CPC drawers, Crypto Express7S cryptographic accelerator card, FICON Express, zHyperLink, and RoCe card. The post emphasizes the performance improvements from moving compression and encryption functions to the chip level and the significance of the 19" form factor for broader adoption.