IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced a strategic collaboration with Arm to develop dual-architecture hardware systems designed for AI and data-intensive enterprise workloads, according to a company press release.

The partnership focuses on three areas: expanding virtualization technologies to allow Arm-based software to operate within IBM's enterprise computing platforms, supporting high-availability operations with security requirements, and creating shared technology layers between platforms.

The collaboration aims to combine IBM's enterprise systems experience with Arm's power-efficient architecture and software ecosystem. IBM currently offers hardware platforms including the Telum II processor and Spyre Accelerator for enterprise AI applications.

"As enterprises scale AI and modernize their infrastructure, the breadth of the Arm software ecosystem is enabling these workloads to run across a broader range of environments," said Mohamed Awad, Executive Vice President of Arm's Cloud AI Business Unit. "Our collaboration with IBM builds on this progress, extending the Arm ecosystem into mission-critical enterprise environments."

Tina Tarquinio, Chief Product Officer for IBM Z and LinuxONE, stated the collaboration "continues IBM's pattern of anticipating enterprise needs well ahead of market inflection points" and aims to "expand software choice and improve system performance while maintaining the reliability and security our clients expect."

The companies plan to explore virtualization technologies that would allow Arm applications to run in IBM's enterprise environments while meeting reliability and security requirements. The initiative also focuses on enabling enterprise systems to recognize and execute Arm applications.

IBM noted that statements regarding the company's future direction are subject to change and represent goals and objectives only.