IBM signs Linux server "utility" deal
Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Expertise Processors, semiconductors, web browsers, quantum computing, supercomputers, AI, 3D printing, drones, computer science, physics, programming, materials science, USB, UWB, Android, digital photography, science. Credentials
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
IBM has named its first major customer of a utility-like that lets customers rent access to Linux servers that IBM itself manages. Exxon Mobil's Mobil Travel Guide will use the service in a five-year, multimillion-dollar deal to run a new Internet service called "Mobil Companion" that offers customized information for auto travelers, Big Blue plans to announce Friday.
The travel guide will use the service to meet seasonal peak demands, IBM said. The Linux Virtual Services offering from IBM lets customers pay for the computing capacity they use instead of purchasing computing power to accommodate peak demands. The services run on an IBM mainframe.