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IBM Unveils Processor Innovations to Boost AI on IBM Z Platform

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International Business Machines Corporation (IBM - Free Report) has unveiled the architecture of the upcoming IBM Telum II Processor and IBM Spyre at Hot Chips 2024. Designed to enhance processing capacity in next-generation IBM Z mainframe systems, these technologies will accelerate the use of traditional and large language AI models through an innovative ensemble artificial intelligence (AI) method.

This advancement addresses the growing need for power-efficient, secure and scalable solutions as generative AI projects with Large Language Models (LLMs) transition from proof-of-concept to production. By leveraging ensemble AI methods, clients can achieve faster and more accurate predictions.

IBM Telum II Processor features eight high-performance cores running at 5.5GHz, 36MB L2 cache per core and a 40% increase in on-chip cache capacity, totaling 360MB. Additionally, the virtual level-4 cache provides 2.88GB per processor drawer, a 40% increase over the previous generation, added IBM. It also features a new I/O Acceleration Unit DPU integrated into the Telum II chip, designed to boost data handling with a 50% increase in I/O density.

The IBM Spyre Accelerator complements the Telum II Processor by adding additional AI compute capabilities. Together, these create a scalable architecture for ensemble AI modeling, which combines multiple AI models with encoder LLMs for improved accuracy. The Spyre Accelerator offers up to 1TB of memory, supports AI workloads across eight cards in an I/O drawer and operates at 75W per card. Each chip includes 32 compute cores that handle int4, int8, fp8 and fp16 data types, optimizing performance for both low-latency and high-throughput AI applications.

The Telum II Processor and IBM Spyre Accelerator, manufactured by IBM's longtime partner Samsung Foundry using a 5nm process node, will support advanced AI applications. Together, they will drive generative AI use cases such as insurance claims fraud detection, advanced anti-money laundering and AI assistants.


The Telum II Processor will be the central processor boosting IBM's next-generation IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE platforms, with availability expected in 2025. The IBM Spyre Accelerator, currently in tech preview, is also slated for release in 2025. These innovations will be introduced in IBM’s next-generation IBM Z platform, allowing clients to scale LLMs and generative AI effectively, the company added.

IBM is a major provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, as well as consulting expertise. The company has a client base spanning 175 countries. IBM assists clients in leveraging data insights, streamlining business processes, reducing costs and gaining a competitive advantage in their respective industries.

Currently, IBM carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have gained 35.6% compared with the sub-industry’s growth of 26.5%.

 

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Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are Manhattan Associates, Inc. (MANH - Free Report) , ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS - Free Report) and Adobe Inc. (ADBE - Free Report) .  MANH presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each, whereas ANSS & ADBE carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Manhattan Associates delivered an earnings surprise of 26.6%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. In the last reported quarter, MANH delivered an earnings surprise of 22.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MANH increased 9.2% in the past 60 days to $4.26.

ANSYS delivered an earnings surprise of 4.8%, on average, in three of the trailing four quarters. In the last reported quarter, ANSS delivered an earnings surprise of 28.9%. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 6.4%.

Adobe delivered an earnings surprise of 2.7%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. In the last reported quarter, ADBE delivered an earnings surprise of 2.1%. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 13%.

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