This week IBM unveiled the z16 as its next generation platform that features a number of industry firsts.
Billed as a quantum safe by IBM, the z16 is specifically designed with the enablement of hybrid cloud in mind, along with bringing real-time analytics at scale thanks to an integrated AI chip accelerator. As such, IBM says the z16 should be tasked with handling mission critical workloads in the credit card, healthcare and financial transaction space.
“For the first time, banks can analyse for fraud during transactions on a massive scale: IBM z16 can process 300 billion inference requests per day with just one millisecond of latency,” explains IBM in a press release sent to Hypertext.
“For consumers, this could mean reducing the time and energy required to handle fraudulent transactions on their credit card. For both merchants and card issuers, this could mean a reduction in revenue loss as consumers could avoid frustration associated with false declines where they might turn to other cards for future transactions,” it adds.
IBM also notes that the z16 is capable of addressing the challenges surrounding emerging technologies and threats too, with cryptocurrencies and the associated potential for fraudulent payments being highlighted by the company as something the z16 can handle.
Added to this is the z16’s functionality in a hybrid cloud environment, which is the direction the industry is heading, but with that shift also comes some complexity and headaches from a cybersecurity perspective.
“In a hybrid cloud environment inclusive of on-premises and public cloud resources, it is critical to protect against today’s threats and posture against cyber criminals who may be stealing data now for decryption later. Building on IBM technologies like Pervasive Encryption and Confidential Computing, IBM z16 takes cyber resiliency a leap further by protecting data against future threats that could evolve with advances in quantum computing,” notes IBM.
“As the industry’s first quantum-safe system, IBM z16 is underpinned by lattice-based cryptography, an approach for constructing security primitives that helps protect data and systems against current and future threats. With IBM z16 quantum-safe cryptography, businesses can future-ready their applications and data today,” it continues.
With an estimated 70 clients already leveraging the capabilities of the z16 mainframe, IBM says general availability is expected in selected regions come 31st May 2022.
