GoKawiil
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IBM has released Granite 4.2, the latest addition to its open-weight, self-hostable language model lineup, offered in 3B, 8B, and 30B parameter sizes. All versions use a decoder-only design and support a 128,000-token context window, while the 8B and 30B models add agentic reinforcement learning that trains them to use tools like web search and terminal commands.
IBM built a top-secret cryptographic computer called Harvest for the National Security Agency, which operated from the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 until the mid-1970s. The machine processed data up to 200 times faster than other computers of its era and included the first automated tape library, robotically retrieving magnetic tape cassettes on demand. IBM also created a custom programming language, Alpha, so analysts could describe cryptographic problems the way Fortran was used for scientific computation.
At Hot Chips 2026, IBM unveiled an early look at a future mainframe processor featuring 11 IBM Z cores on a 2-nanometer process, clocked above 5.7 GHz, capable of natively executing both z/Architecture and AArch64 instructions on the same cores without emulation. The chip will include specialized accelerators for AI fraud detection, I/O, compression, cryptography and sorting, plus a large cache hierarchy topping out near 3.5 GB of virtual L4 cache. IBM hasn't named the chip or its host system but expects it around 2028, likely powering a future z18-class mainframe.
At Hot Chips 2026, IBM revealed a next-generation processor built on a 2nm node with 11 cores, each running at a 5.7 GHz base clock. The chip's key innovation is a core that can natively execute both z/Architecture and AArch64 instructions, switching between them within nanoseconds, a result of IBM's April partnership with Arm.
IBM unveiled a new mainframe processor at Hot Chips that will power future IBM Z and LinuxONE systems, marking the first chip whose cores can execute both IBM's proprietary instruction set and Arm's, switching between them in nanoseconds. Each of the chip's 11 cores is built to be dual-architecture rather than pairing separate Arm and Z cores side by side, letting Arm-native Linux and AI software run alongside traditional z/OS transaction workloads on the same silicon.
A federal appeals panel rejected Xinuos's claim that IBM improperly contributed Project Monterey code to Linux, ruling the deadline to pursue such action had passed. Xinuos, a legal successor to SCO, now plans to petition for the case to be reheard by the full Second Circuit Court of Appeals rather than just a three-judge panel.