We want to unleash the full potential of IBM Power

We build community to grow the Power ecosystem – more solutions, more users, more value.

The most capable hardware you’re not yet taking full advantage of

IBM Power underpins mission-critical computing around the world. Banking transactions, flight reservations, hospital systems, SAP installations – workloads that can’t afford to fail run on Power.

This is no coincidence.

Power systems offer legendary reliability thanks to their RAS (Reliability, Availability, Serviceability) architecture that x86 simply cannot match. They run trouble-free for 10, 15 years or more. Their design – large caches, SMT8, extraordinary memory bandwidth – is designed to keep performance at scale in a sustained manner.

But there is an opportunity that most organizations are missing:

Power can do much more than what is usually asked of it.

The capacity is there. The potential is enormous. What has been missing is independent validation, momentum from the community and accessible tools that open the door to new use cases.

Exactly what LibrePower is building.

What is LibrePower?

LibrePower is a community initiative to extend what is possible in IBM Power – across the entire ecosystem:

• AIX – The veteran Unix that runs the most demanding enterprise loads
• IBM i – The integrated system that thousands of companies around the world run on
• Linux on Power (ppc64le) – Ubuntu, Rocky, RHEL, SUSE, Fedora on POWER Architecture

We are not here to replace anything. We come to add:

• More certified solutions running on Power
• More developers and administrators relying on the platform
• More reasons to invest in Power – both in new and existing equipment

What we do

1. LibrePower Certified – independent validation

ISVs and open source projects need to know that their software works on Power. Buyers need confidence before deploying. IBM certification has its value, but there is room for independent community-driven validation.

LibrePower Certified offers three levels:

Free for open source projects. Premium levels for ISVs looking for deeper collaboration.

Open source repositories

We compile, package and distribute software that the Power community needs:

• AIX(aix.librepower.org): modern CLI tools, security utilities, compatibility layers
• ppc64le: container tools (AWX, Podman), development utilities, monitoring
• IBM i: open source integration (under development)

Everything is free. Everything is documented. Everything is in GitLab.

3. Performance testing and optimization

Power hardware has unique features that most software does not take advantage of. We benchmark, identify opportunities and work with upstream projects to improve performance on Power.

When we find optimizations, we contribute them back. The entire ecosystem benefits.

4. Building community

The Power world is fragmented. AIX administrators, Linux on Power teams, IBM i environments – all solving similar problems in isolation.

LibrePower connects these communities:

• Cross-platform knowledge sharing
• Amplify the collective voice to manufacturers and projects
• Create a network of expertise in Power

5. Expanding the market

Every new solution validated in Power is one more reason for organizations to choose the platform. Every developer who learns Power is talent for the ecosystem. Every success story demonstrates value.

More solutions → more adoption → stronger ecosystem → more investment in Power.

This virtuous circle benefits everyone: IBM, partners, ISVs and users.

Why should you care?

If you manage Power systems:

• Access tools and solutions you were missing
• Join a community that understands your environment
• Maximize the return on your hardware investment

If you are a developer:

• Learn a platform with unique technical features
• Contribute to projects with real impact in the enterprise world.
• Develops expertise in a high value niche

If you are an ISV:

• Get your software validated in Power
• Connect with enterprise customers
• Discover market opportunities in the Power ecosystem

If you are evaluating infrastructure:

• Find out what’s really possible in Power beyond traditional charging
• Find independent validation of solutions
• Connect with the community to learn about real experiences

What we are working on

AIX(aix.librepower.org)

• ✅ Modern package manager (dnf/yum for AIX)
• ✅ fzf – fuzzy search engine (Go binary compiled for AIX)
• ✅ nano – modern editor
• 2FA tools – Google Authenticator with QR codes
• 🔄 Coming soon: ripgrep, yq, modern coreutils

Linux ppc64le

• 🔄 AWX – Ansible automation (full port in progress)
• 🔄 Container Tools – Podman, Buildah, Skopeo
• 🔄 Development tools – lazygit, k9s, modern CLIs

IBM i

• 📋 Planning phase – assessing priorities with community input.

The vision

Imagine:

• Every major open source project considers Power at the time of release
• ISVs see Power as a strategic platform, not an afterthought
• Organizations deploy new loads on Power with confidence
• A connected and growing community that powers the ecosystem

That’s The Power Renaissance.

It is not nostalgia for the past. It is not just extending the life of existing deployments.

Active expansion of what Power can do and who uses it.

Join

LibrePower grows with the community. This is how you can participate:

• 📬 Subscribe to the latest news – new releases, guides, community news
• 💻 Explore our repos – use, contribute, request
• ✅ Certify your software – validate your software in Power
• 🤝 Become a sponsor – support the initiative

Who is behind it?

LibrePower is an initiative of SIXE, an IBM and Canonical Business Partner with more than 20 years of experience in the Power ecosystem.

We have seen what Power can do. We’ve seen what’s missing. Now we build what should exist.

LibrePower – Unlocking the potential of Power Systems through open source software 🌍. Unmatched RAS. Superior TCO. Minimal footprint. 🌍