Dive Brief:

• IBM has launched Linux-only mainframe servers called LinuxONE.

• The servers include LinuxONE Emperor for large enterprises and Rockhopper for mid-size businesses.

• IBM said LinuxONE Emperor can scale up to 8,000 virtual machines.

Dive Insight:

IBM said the LinuxOne system will work with open software such as Apache Spark, an open source framework that can be used to analyze large amounts of data quickly.

Experts say IBM’s move is another sign that open source software is increasingly important to the way big companies approach IT. The servers are based on IBM’s z13 mainframe computer, which was designed for high-volume mobile transactions.

“We are deepening our commitment to the open source community by combining the best of the open world with the most advanced system in the world in order to help clients embrace new mobile and hybrid cloud workloads,” Tom Rosamilia, senior vice president of IBM Systems, said in a release. “Building on the success of Linux on the mainframe, we continue to push the limits beyond the capabilities of commodity servers that are not designed for security and performance at extreme scale."