IBM Power 11 FAQ

There are seven current IBM Power 11 models: the entry S1112 (machine type 9242-21B rack, 9242-21T tower), the scale-out S1122 (9824-22A) and S1124 (9824-42A), the Linux-optimized L1122 (9856-22H) and L1124 (9856-42H), and the enterprise scale-up E1150 (9043-MRU) and flagship E1180 (9080-HEU). See our full Power 11 model directory for structured specs on each.

Power 11 succeeds Power10 with DDR5 DDIMM memory, on-chip Matrix Math Acceleration for AI workloads, higher-bandwidth Open Memory Interface (OMI) throughput, higher CPW and rPerf ratings at comparable core counts, and a hard requirement for HMC v11 (7063-CR2 or vHMC). See our full Power10 vs Power 11 comparison for numeric detail across memory bandwidth, storage, and I/O.

IBM does not publish fixed list prices for Power11 hardware. Total cost depends on the processor feature code, memory, storage, IBM i/AIX/Linux software tier, and services. As a real published example, Midland Information Systems shows a single-partition IBM i S1122 configuration (10 users, 128 GB memory) running roughly $69,968 total (hardware plus software). Larger, unlimited-user configurations run well over $200,000. See our Power 11 pricing page for the full pricing model.

Every Power 11 server requires HMC v11, delivered as either the 7063-CR2 hardware appliance or the IBM vHMC software appliance. The prior 7063-CR1 hardware appliance is not supported for Power 11, so buyers upgrading from Power10 or earlier should budget for a console refresh alongside the server hardware.

No. Power 11 uses new processor modules, DDR5 DDIMM memory, and a new system architecture that is not a drop-in upgrade path from Power10 -- moving to Power11 means acquiring new hardware, not upgrading in place. Existing DASD, PCIe adapters, and other components generally do not carry over between generations without checking specific compatibility. See our IBM i Power 11 migration guide for a full planning checklist.

Power 11 supports IBM i 7.6, IBM i 7.5 TR6 and later, and IBM i 7.4 TR12 and later; AIX 7.3 TL4 SP1+ and AIX 7.2 TL5 SP12+; RHEL 9 and 10 for Power LE and Red Hat OpenShift; and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6+. VIOS 4.1.1.30 or later is required for virtualized I/O across all models.

Both share the 9824 machine-type family and a similar 60-core ceiling, but the S1124's EP3X/EP3H/EP3Y processor options deliver roughly 3.5x to 10x higher CPW than equivalent S1122 core counts, at the cost of stepping up into the P20 or P30 IBM i software tier instead of the S1122's P10. The S1124 also supports double the memory (8 TB vs 4 TB) and internal storage (244.8 TB vs 122.4 TB).

S-series (S1112, S1122, S1124) and L-series (L1122, L1124) models share nearly identical hardware, but carry different machine-type licensing. L-series machines are Linux and Red Hat OpenShift-first, with IBM i and AIX capped at roughly 25% of activated cores. If your workload is primarily IBM i or AIX, choose the equivalent S-series model instead.

Yes, but only on up to roughly 25% of the system's total activated cores -- the L-series machine-type licensing is built around Linux and OpenShift as the primary workload. If IBM i is your primary or majority workload, the equivalent S1122 or S1124 is almost always the better fit.

CPW (Commercial Processing Workload) is IBM's relative-performance benchmark for IBM i systems. Higher CPW generally means more IBM i transaction throughput on a given processor feature code, but CPW should only be compared within the same benchmark family, not against unrelated vendor benchmarks or between IBM i and AIX/Linux (which use rPerf instead). See our CPW and rPerf glossary entries and article for the full explanation.

It depends on the model: the entry S1112 holds up to 512 GB DDR5 (64 GB usable for IBM i), the S1122 and L1122 up to 4 TB, the S1124 and L1124 up to 8 TB, the E1150 up to 16 TB per node, and the flagship E1180 up to 64 TB total across two nodes. All models use DDR5 DDIMM memory modules.

Every current Power 11 model uses direct NVMe U.2 internal storage bays, from 12.8 TB raw on the S1112 up to 244.8 TB raw on the S1124 and L1124. Additional NVMe capacity can be added via the external NED24 expansion drawer, and further PCIe-attached SAN or tape connectivity is added through the Gen4 I/O expansion drawer.

The Power S1112 (9242-21B rack or 9242-21T tower) is the smallest and only current Power 11 model available in a tower form factor, with 4 or 10 processor cores and up to 512 GB of memory.

The Power E1180 (9080-HEU) is IBM's flagship Power11 system, scaling up to 256 cores and 64 TB of DDR5 memory across a two-node configuration, built for the largest mission-critical enterprise workloads.

The software tier (P05, P10, P20, or P30) is set by the specific processor feature code you order, not the model name alone. The S1112's EJMT is P05, its EJSV is P10; the entire S1122 line is P10; the S1124 spans P20 (EP3X) or P30 (EP3H/EP3Y). Confirm the exact feature code on your quote before pricing IBM i software.

Work with a verified IBM Power reseller. This site lists Midland Information Systems and BigTech Reseller as sourcing vendors -- see our Power 11 sourcing vendor directory. Use our Power 11 quote checklist first to gather your core count, memory, storage, software tier, and I/O requirements before requesting pricing.

Current Power 11 models use direct-chassis PCIe Gen4 slots. The entry S1112 carries 4 non-hot-plug Gen4 slots (2x x16, 2x x8); larger models add capacity through Gen4 I/O expansion drawers rather than a different slot generation. Confirm exact slot count and mix against your target model's spec page before ordering adapters.

At minimum: target core count and processor feature code, memory capacity, internal and expansion storage needs, PCIe adapter and networking requirements, IBM i/AIX/Linux mix and software tier, HMC status (do you already have a 7063-CR2 or vHMC), and your migration timeline if replacing existing hardware. See our full Power 11 quote checklist for the complete list.