Definition
IBM Power Virtual Server, usually shortened to PowerVS, lets IBM i, AIX, and Linux on Power workloads run in IBM Cloud on the same architecture they already use on-premises. Because the underlying Power architecture does not change, applications, including RPG and COBOL programs, generally move without being rewritten.
PowerVS matters for AI planning because it gives IBM i shops a cloud-hosted environment that AI platforms like watsonx can connect to directly through APIs and data pipelines. Buyers can treat PowerVS as an infrastructure decision, separate from any decision about rewriting applications.