IBM has just revealed a mainframe computer that it hopes will prove to be a landmark move for the industry. The computing giant is determined to see its new design ward off stiff completion from PC-based servers.
In a statement, the firm explained that zEnterprise EC12, which had cost $1 billion (£633 million) to develop, is a machine with processing cores that are 25 percent more powerful than earlier models. This disparity, the firm inferred, could be the difference between IBM being usurped by rival computing companies or not.
Allied to increased power levels, the new design also features better security and data-analytics tools than older models, according to IBM. The sale of mainframes is a key part of IBM's operation and the company is understandably concerned that the system is in permanent decline.
Despite these forecasts, the machines remain popular among big banks and other institutions that use the large computers. And with prices starting at around $1 million (£633,000), it is easy to understand IBM’s determination to see them survive.
Experts, including Charles King, an analyst with research firm Pund-IT, argue that by making continual improvements, IBM and others should be able to keep their existing customers happy. However, he told the BBC that mainframes are unlikely to attract new customers from now onwards.
"It's going to be harder and harder for IBM to find new customers and new opportunities for the mainframe," he said.
The mainframe market finds itself in the midst of a long-term decline, according to research firm Gartner, which has estimated that annual sales would fall in 2012.