IBM does not publish a fixed list price for Power11 hardware. IBM and its Business Partners price every Power11 system around processor configuration, memory, storage, I/O, the IBM i, AIX, or Linux software tier tied to that processor, and support contracts, so two buyers looking at the same model can land on very different totals. This guide breaks down real published price ranges by model, what drives the final number, and where Power11 fits against financing and total cost of ownership in 2026.
IBM Power 11 price by model
These are real published hardware prices, not estimates, current as of August 2026. See the Power 11 Power Value Index pricing profile for how Power11 scores against Power10, Power9, and Power8 on price versus capability, and how a Power 11 configuration quote is actually built.
| Model | Family | Cores | Price range (hardware) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1112 | Entry scale-out | 4-10 | $52,000 – $98,000 | Data Tech Computer |
| S1122 | Mainstream scale-out | 4-60 | $39,648 – $487,000 | Data Tech Computer |
| S1124 | High-throughput scale-out | 16-60 | $146,000 – $384,000 | Data Tech Computer |
| L1122 | Linux-optimized | up to 60 | Quote-only, no published reseller price found | IBM or authorized reseller quote |
| L1124 | Linux-optimized | up to 60 | Quote-only, no published reseller price found | IBM or authorized reseller quote |
| E1150 | Enterprise scale-up | up to 120 per node | Quote-only, no published reseller price found | IBM or authorized reseller quote |
| E1180 | Enterprise flagship | up to 256 | From roughly $2,400,000 (96-core configuration) | Data Tech Computer |
These are hardware-only prices from a single reseller's published catalog, not IBM list prices, and the high end of each range reflects a maxed-out memory/storage configuration rather than the maximum core count alone. IBM i, AIX, or Linux software entitlements are priced separately by tier (see Software Licensing Tiers below). L1122, L1124, and E1150 are typically quoted directly rather than catalog-listed; the L-series carries Linux-only licensing, which narrows the reseller market that stocks it.
Two other real data points worth knowing. A published Midland Information Systems example for a single-partition S1122 with 10 users and 128 GB memory totaled $69,967.98 (hardware plus IBM i software), rising to $219,742.98 for four unlimited-user partitions on the same hardware. Separately, IT Jungle's own IBM configurator pricing put a 3-year IBM i software subscription (P10 tier) on an 8-core S1122 at $46,027, and a 3-year P20-tier subscription on an 8-core S1124 at $125,546.33, that is the software-licensing cost layered on top of the hardware, not a hardware price.
IBM Power 11 CPU
Every Power11 processor core carries a Matrix Math Accelerator (MMA) for AI inferencing, Open Memory Interface 2.0 for DDR5 DDIMM bandwidth, and simultaneous multithreading up to SMT8. Core counts scale from 4 cores on the entry S1112 up to 256 cores across the dual-node E1180. See full Power S1122 processor feature codes, clock speeds, and CPW/rPerf ratings.
IBM Power 11 servers
"IBM Power 11 servers" covers seven current machines split into three families: entry/scale-out (S1112, S1122, S1124), Linux-optimized (L1122, L1124), and enterprise scale-up (E1150, E1180). All run IBM i, AIX, and Linux under PowerVM, and can host multiple operating systems on the same chassis through logical partitioning. See a plain-English breakdown of which Power 11 server fits which workload.
IBM Power 11 release date
IBM announced Power11 on July 8, 2025 and made it generally available on July 25, 2025, the first Power launch to ship entry, mid-range, and enterprise hardware simultaneously. It replaces Power10, which launched in 2021, as IBM's current Power Systems generation. See the full Power10 vs Power11 generational comparison.
IBM Power 11 datasheet
IBM doesn't publish a single consolidated Power11 datasheet; specifications are split across model-specific technical documents and IBM Redbooks such as IBM Power11 Scale-Out Servers: Introduction and Technical Overview. See the Power 11 resource library for the technical documents, benchmark explainers, and licensing references in one place.
IBM Power S1112
The IBM Power S1112 (machine types 9242-21B rack and 9242-21T tower) is the smallest and newest Power11 model, and the only one available in a tower form factor. It ships with a 4-core EJMT or 10-core EJSV processor, up to 512 GB of DDR5 memory, and up to 12.8 TB of internal NVMe storage, priced from roughly $52,000 to $98,000 depending on configuration. See full S1112 specs, processor options, and pricing notes.
IBM Power 11 specs
Every Power11 model shares the same generational foundation: DDR5 DDIMM memory, PowerVM virtualization, and HMC v11 management. From there, specs scale sharply by tier, from 4 cores and 512 GB of memory on the S1112 up to 256 cores and 64 TB of memory on the flagship E1180. See the full spec comparison across all seven Power 11 models.
IBM Power 11 server models
The seven current Power11 machine types are the S1112 (9242-21B/21T), S1122 (9824-22A), S1124 (9824-42A), L1122 (9856-22H), L1124 (9856-42H), E1150 (9043-MRU), and E1180 (9080-HEU). See the full Power 11 model directory with processor, memory, storage, and I/O specs for each machine type.
IBM i software licensing tiers
IBM i, the operating system most Power11 buyers on this site are running, is licensed separately from hardware. Tiers include P05, P10, P20, P30, and P40, each tied to the processor feature code and allowing a different level of activated capacity. Your software tier determines ongoing IBM i support and maintenance fees, which often represent a significant share of the total Power11 investment over a three-to-five-year period. See the IBM i tier economics guide for how P05 through P40 pricing actually scales.
IBM Global Financing
IBM offers several financing options through IBM Global Financing, including operating leases, capital leases, and deferred payment programs. An operating lease keeps the asset off balance sheet and can turn a large Power11 hardware purchase into a predictable monthly operating expense over a typical three-year term. Financing terms and rates are quoted individually and vary by configuration, credit profile, and region, so treat any monthly figure as an estimate until a Business Partner prices your specific deal.
Total cost of ownership factors
When evaluating a Power11 investment, account for hardware, IBM i (or AIX/Linux) software and support, hardware maintenance, professional services for migration, facilities (rack space, power, cooling), and network connectivity. Over a five-year lifecycle, software and support often equals or exceeds the initial hardware price. Use the IBM Power hardware pricing ranges and the IBM i tier economics guide to model the cash price, software tier effect, and five-year ownership cost before treating any one advertised price as complete. For the full pricing mechanics and quote checklist, see the IBM Power 11 Pricing Guide and the IBM Power 11 glossary definition on this site.
Sources
- IBM Newsroom, IBM Power11 Raises the Bar for Enterprise IT (July 8, 2025 press release)
- IBM Redbooks, IBM Power11 Scale-Out Servers: Introduction and Technical Overview
- Midland Information Systems, published IBM Power 11 configuration and pricing examples (unlinked reference)
- Data Tech Computer, IBM Power11 iSeries server pricing by model
- IT Jungle, Stacking Up Power10 and Power11 Systems Price/Performance
- pricing.as400system.com, IBM Power 11 Power Value Index pricing profile
- power11.as400system.com, IBM Power 11 Pricing
- power11.as400system.com, IBM Power 11 Model Directory