zNext - One Box to Rule Them All?

The hype is building for zNext, the next generation of IBM System z servers. z10 brought unprecedented power, resilience and versatility to the large server market. But the next generation - first dubbed z11 and more recently zNext - is rumoured to be a step change in architecture that some are suggesting will change the datacenter game completely.

We know some stuff already, that the processers will be down from 65nm to 45nm junctions and run around 5GHz giving up to 43000 MIPS [PDF] which represents about a 25% improvement on the z10. So far so impressive, but not earth-shattering.

But more recent rumours from Poughkeepsie have suggested something bigger is happening. The word "Hybrid" has been used in connection with POWER systems, suggesting that the new architecture will cross traditional platform boundaries. And one source told me that Teradata will be in the frame.

A System z that also runs native AIX and Teradata right out of the box? Wouldn't that be groundbreaking?

IBM have now announced the reveal will be in a July 22 webcast to partners. If you can't make it, come back soon, I'll be blogging about it here shortly after. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn or by RSS feed to get the news first. Might this be the game-changer, the killer blow to IBM's high-end server opposition, and then some?