The Power 795 is IBM's biggest Unix server to date. It's aimed at companies that run large-scale database applications or want to consolidate multiple Unix or Linux workloads onto a single system using IBM's PowerVM virtualization software.

IBM also launched several low-end Power7-based servers, each with one or two processors. Combined with the mid-range systems it launched earlier this year, the new servers round out IBM's Power7 line-up from top to bottom.

All the new systems are offered with Linux or IBM's AIX or i operating systems (i is the new name for IBM's i5/OS). They'll compete with Unix servers from Hewlett-Packard and Oracle, which acquired Sun's hardware business when it bought the company earlier this year.

Few organizations need a box as big as the 795 to run a single, large application, and IBM expects most customers to use it for consolidation projects, which can help reduce energy use and conserve data center floor space, said Steve Sibley, IBM's worldwide marketing manager for Power systems.

The box can be carved into 254 partitions today, and IBM has said it will increase that number to 1,000 next year when it completes the required testing. "You may need a firmware update to do that, but right now we don't anticipate customers having to do anything," Sibley said.