Fall TRs Expected Next Week At Combined IBM-COMMON Conference

October 19, 2026

Alex Woodie

Big Blue delayed its spring Technology Refreshes for IBM i earlier by three months this year so that it could simultaneously announce the new entry level Power server. It seems very unlikely that we’ll see such a delay for the fall TR, however, as IBM gears up for its semi-annual announcement for the still-popular midrange server at next week’s combined IBM-COMMON conference.

There are several indicators that the fall TR is looming. For starters, IBM essentially said that the fall TR is coming in the description for one of its upcoming IBM i Guided Tours, which have become the favored vehicle for IBM to disseminate information via webcast.

The November 4 Guided Tour, titled The Next Wave of IBM i Innovation: New Enhancements for Security, Performance, and Modernization, will feature the IBM i brain trust of Kris Whitney, who took over the IBM i Chief Architect chair after the retirement of Steve Will, along with his top lieutenants: Db2 for i business architect Scott Forstie, senior technical staff member for IBM i application development & system management Tim Rowe, and IBM i security busin...