IBM Power 8 End of Service and IBM Power 9 hardware withdrawal
Time to read: 10 mins
Back in November 2022, IBM announced that lease, rental, and maintenance services for select POWER8 servers were being withdrawn, with some replacement options available.
Now in May 2023, IBM has announced the hardware withdrawal of select Power 9 servers, as well as revised availability for IBM Power Systems Elastic CoD, which will no longer support IBM POWER8 servers.
With all these changes, it’s only natural that businesses using IBM POWER8 or Power9 may look to upgrade to the newest IBM Power10 servers providing enhanced capabilities to support high-performance IT.
As an IBM Platinum partner, Tectrade’s technical experts have broken down the announcements to help you understand what the end of service and product withdrawals mean, and next steps.
End of Support for IBM POWER8 Servers, Explained
The IBM POWER8 End of Service (EoS) announcement provided at least 12 months of notice to customers so they can start looking at replacement or upgrade options; or continue to sweat these assets.
The recommended replacement options point towards the newest generation of Power System servers, IBM Power10 with superior benefits.
It’s important to note that after the effective date, IBM will no longer offer full hardware maintenance service for the listed machine types.
| Kit Description | Service Discontinued |
| Power Systems S821LC | 31/10/2024 |
| Power Systems S822LC for Big Data | 31/10/2024 |
| Power Systems S812L | 31/05/2024 |
| Power Systems S822L | 31/03/2024 |
| Power Systems S824L | 31/03/2024 |
| Power Systems S822 | 31/03/2024 |
| Power Systems S814 | 31/05/2024 |
| Power Systems S824 | 31/03/2024 |
| Power Systems S822LC (Model GCA) | 31/05/2024 |
| Power Systems S822LC (Model GTA) | 31/03/2024 |
| Power Systems S822LC for HPC | 31/10/2024 |
| Power Systems S812LC | 31/03/2024 |
| Power Systems E850C | 31/10/2024 |
| Power Systems E850 | 31/10/2023 |
| Power Systems E880C | 31/10/2024 |
| Power Systems E870C | 31/10/2024 |
| Power Systems E880 | 31/10/2024 |
| Power Systems E870 | 31/10/2024 |
Hardware withdrawal for IBM Power 9 Servers, Explained
On or after the effective dates of withdrawal, you can no longer order certain IBM Power 9 server products directly from IBM.
Effective August 9, 2023, IBM will withdraw from marketing the following products:
- IBM Power System AC922 (8335-GTH)
- IBM Power System AC922 (8335-GTX)
Effective October 20, 2023, IBM will withdraw from marketing the following products:
- IBM Power System S914 (9009-41G)
- IBM Power System S924 (9009-42G)
- IBM Power System E950 (9040-MR9)
- IBM Power System S922 (9009-22G)
- IBM Power System H922S (9223-22S)
- IBM Power System H924S (9223-42S)
- S922 Healthcare Solution Edition
- S924 Healthcare Solution Edition
- E950 Healthcare Solution Edition
- E980 Healthcare Solution Edition
For further details, visit the IBM Documentation page.
IBM Power Systems Elastic CoD (4586-COD) no longer supporting POWER8 servers, Explained
IBM states that when IBM Power8 servers reach End of Support (EOS), Elastic Capacity on Demand will no longer be supported.
“Elastic COD purchased through 4586-COD Machine Type Model (MTM) or Entitled Systems Support (ESS), can no longer be used for provisioning and code generation on these Power8 servers.
Any unused Elastic Capacity on Demand resources (Processor or Memory days) not already provisioned to a Power8 server before EOS, can continue to be used on similar IBM Power9 and IBM Power10 servers.”
Effective October 31, 2023
- IBM Power System E850 (8408-E8E)
Effective October 31, 2024
- IBM Power System E850C (8408-44E
- IBM Power System E880C (9080-MHE)
- IBM Power System E870C (9080-MME)
- IBM Power System E880 (9119-MHE)
- IBM Power System E870 (9119-MME)
Full details can be found on the IBM Documentation page.
What’s Next for Customers with IBM POWER8 or IBM Power 9?
We recommend considering upgrade and support options carefully and exercising caution if buying unsupported servers from third-party providers, as the withdrawal from support will impact the long-term upgradability of existing kit.
Tectrade’s experts work closely with IBM to help clients map and plan migrations meaningfully. During upgrade planning, organizations can explore the upgrade paths available, learn more about product roadmaps, and ensure the features and benefits are suitable to meet their needs today, and in the future.
IBM’s replacement options point clients to IBM Power 10 which brings many benefits and features including security, sustainability and reliability.
Typical IBM Power 10 upgrades provide:
- Up to 2x Performance Per Core
- Reduced Software and Maintenance Costs
- Increased Resilience
- Reduction in Power Consumption and Costs
- Better Sustainability Outcomes
- Reduced space / power / cooling in the Data Centre
Why not read our Upgrading to Power 10 (a Facts & Features Guide) to understand what makes this a cutting-edge server best in class or explore our IBM Power Managed Services for more information.
For help with future migrations, or to discuss upgrade options with an IBM accredited specialist, please contact our team.
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