IBM Power9: Upgrade or maintain? What to do after the end of official support

1. Why is the manufacture of new servers not sustainable?

Upgrading to new servers involves a significant environmental cost. Although Power11 systems will be more efficient, hardware manufacturing generates tons of CO2 emissions. Your Power9, with proper maintenance, can remain functional and less harmful to the environment. We prove it to you with the example of infomaniak:

As the graph shows, extending the lifetime of servers by upgrading key components, such as the processor or memory, can drastically reduce the environmental impact. It also contributes to the circular economy by avoiding waste of resources.

Solution: Opt for preventive maintenance strategies and component upgrades to maximize the life of your Power9.

2. Benefits of virtualization in Power9

Lack of server virtualization and consolidation increases energy consumption and waste generation. With virtualization tools, your Power9s can run much more efficiently, reducing the need for new equipment and the associated environmental impact.

Solution: Implement virtualization solutions to optimize the use of your resources. At SIXE we offer virtualization training in Linux and VMware to help you maximize the performance of your infrastructure.

Measurement and management of environmental impact

Without measuring the impact of your activities, it is impossible to optimize your resources and reduce your carbon footprint. Power9 systems can be evaluated to identify opportunities for efficiency and sustainability improvements.

• Energy audits: Identifies areas of high consumption and optimization opportunities.
• Life Cycle Assessment: Analyze where your Power server is now. This way you can assess the environmental impact of your servers from manufacture to replacement.

Solution: Conduct regular audits and use measurement tools such as IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator or IBM Systems Energy Estimator to manage the impact of your IT infrastructure.

4. Economic impact of a hasty decision

Rushing to renew equipment may not be cost-effective if IBM Power9 servers still meet your company’s current needs. Before investing in new systems, it’s critical to analyze your company’s Return on Investment (ROI) to determine if the upgrade is financially justifiable.

• Acquisition and maintenance costs: The purchase of new servers (power10, power11) implies a high initial cost. However, the more classic servers, with proper maintenance, can continue to operate efficiently, avoiding this expense.
• Long life cycle: By means of a life cycle assessment, their life cycle can be correctly extended (e.g. by upgrading components). This means that, with optimization, they can be a viable long-term solution.
• Current capacity vs. future needs: If the Power9 still efficiently handles current workloads, an immediate upgrade may be unnecessary. Perform a performance performance analysis can be key.

Solution: Evaluate the ROI of renewing your servers versus replacing them. In many cases, maintaining and optimizing your Power9 can be the most cost-effective and sustainable option for your business.