The best way to get real value from AI is to bring it closer to where the data is: right on the mainframe. IBM z17 is the engine that keeps businesses running, helping companies use AI to turn data into smarter decisions, faster.

Our challenge was to reposition the z17 as a modern AI powerhouse. Mainframes are often perceived as legacy technology, despite being essential for the world’s largest companies. Our goal was to shift that perception, showing Z as a critical enabler of AI-driven transformation.

The creative concept, “Do more at the core with AI on Z”, highlights how AI is deeply integrated into the mainframe, not just as an add-on, but as its beating heart. The idea of “AI to Z” reinforces this, showing how businesses can unlock a broad range of AI-driven outcomes directly where the data lives. Visually, we leaned into a sleek, dark mode aesthetic, using deep blacks and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow to bring sophistication and modernity to the mainframe. Purple light elements represent AI, adding a sense of pulsating energy, while helping to reframe the mainframe perception.