# POWER9

> 2017 family of symmetric multiprocessors by IBM

**Wikidata**: [Q25390342](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25390342)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POWER9)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/power9

## Summary  
POWER9 is a 2017 family of symmetric multiprocessors developed by IBM. It serves as a high-performance processor architecture designed for enterprise servers and supercomputers.

## Key Facts  
- POWER9 was released in 2017.  
- It is part of the IBM POWER series of microprocessors.  
- Developed and manufactured by IBM, with GlobalFoundries as a manufacturing partner.  
- Used in supercomputers such as Sierra and Lassen.  
- Based on the IBM POWER instruction set architecture.  
- Designed for use in high-performance computing (HPC) and enterprise server environments.  
- POWER9 processors support symmetric multiprocessing configurations.  
- Foundational to systems requiring large-scale parallel processing capabilities.

## FAQs  
### Q: What is POWER9 used for?  
A: POWER9 is used in enterprise servers and high-performance computing systems. It powers some of the world’s fastest supercomputers, including Sierra and Lassen.  

### Q: Who developed the POWER9 processor?  
A: The POWER9 processor was developed by IBM. Manufacturing was handled in collaboration with GlobalFoundries.  

### Q: When was POWER9 released?  
A: POWER9 was commercially released in 2017.  

### Q: Is POWER9 still in production?  
A: As of the latest available information, POWER9 remains in use, though newer generations like POWER10 have since been introduced.  

## Why It Matters  
POWER9 represents a significant advancement in IBM's long-standing POWER architecture, tailored for modern demands in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. Its design emphasizes scalability, performance, and support for next-generation workloads. By powering top-tier supercomputers like Sierra and Lassen, POWER9 plays a critical role in scientific research and national security applications. Its architecture supports advanced features such as NVLink and CAPI (Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface), enabling efficient integration with accelerators like GPUs and FPGAs. These capabilities make it essential for compute-intensive tasks in both public and private sectors.

## Notable For  
- First IBM processor to natively support PCIe 4.0 and NVLink 2.0.  
- Powers two of the world’s most powerful supercomputers: Sierra and Lassen.  
- Designed for hybrid cloud and AI workloads with enhanced memory and I/O bandwidth.  
- Features improved multithreading and per-core performance compared to its predecessor, POWER8.  
- Supports coherent accelerator interfaces (CAPI) for high-speed data exchange with external devices.

## Body  
### Overview  
POWER9 is a family of symmetric multiprocessors introduced by IBM in 2017. It is part of the broader IBM POWER series and is optimized for enterprise servers and high-performance computing (HPC) applications.

### Development and Release  
- **Developer**: IBM  
- **Manufacturer**: IBM and GlobalFoundries  
- **Release Year**: 2017  
- **Instruction Set Architecture**: IBM POWER  
- **Commercialization Date**: 2017  

### Technical Characteristics  
- Supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) configurations.  
- Enhanced memory and I/O subsystems for high-throughput applications.  
- Native support for PCIe 4.0 and NVLink 2.0, allowing faster communication with accelerators.  
- Improved per-core performance and multithreading over POWER8.  

### Applications  
- Deployed in supercomputers such as:
  - **Sierra** – Inception: 2018; Country: United States  
  - **Lassen** – Inception: 2018; Country: United States  
- Used in enterprise-class servers for cloud computing and big data analytics.  

### Industry Impact  
- Enabled breakthrough performance in HPC benchmarks.  
- Facilitated advancements in AI and machine learning through improved accelerator connectivity.  
- Integral to U.S. Department of Energy projects involving nuclear simulation and climate modeling.

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