IBM Ends Support for Hammerhead: A Look Ahead at What's Next

On July 30, IBM officially announced the end of support for its "Hammerhead" platform, also known as the Cloud Pak for Data System. The end-of-marketing date is set for November 12, 2024, while support for the system will officially expire on September 30, 2028.

For early adopters using version 1.0.X, this provides ample time to strategize their next steps. However, for organizations in the Mako-class who only invested in Hammerhead recently—perhaps just last year—the four-year window may seem like a blink of an eye.

In an interesting twist, IBM is also doubling down on its commitment to on-premise solutions with the upcoming release of IBM Fusion HCI for Netezza Performance Server. Slated for release in Q4 2024, this new platform represents the next generation of Netezza’s on-premises data warehouse system, signaling a renewed focus on on-prem solutions amid broader trends of cloud repatriation.

As IBM phases out Hammerhead, businesses will need to decide whether to migrate to alternative cloud platforms, adopt IBM’s new on-prem offerings, or pursue other data management strategies.

Natrinsic plans to start rolling out extended support for Hammerhead (IBM Cloud Pak for Data System) with select existing customers in the first quarter of 2025. If you are interested in learning more about our future Hammerhead support product, please contact us.