IBM Power 8 Enterprise Server

IBM Power E880C (9080-MHE)

The E880C (9080-MHE) is the C-generation refresh of the E880, the largest Power8 system. IBM standard support ended October 31, 2024. Do not confuse 9080-MHE with 9119-MHE, which is the original E880.

Machine type: 9080-MHE

The Power E880C (9080-MHE) is the top of the Power8 line: a node-based scale-up system that replaced the Power 795 in IBM's lineup and scaled to four nodes.

Where the E880C stands in 2026

It is also half of the most reliably confused machine-type pair in the Power8 range. 9080-MHE is the E880C. 9119-MHE is the original E880. Same MHE suffix, two years and one hardware generation apart. If you are pricing maintenance or sourcing parts, the prefix is the only thing that tells you which machine is actually in the rack.

Power8 end-of-service dates are set per machine type, not per generation. The spread across the line runs from March 2024 to July 2025, so verify the 9080-MHE date specifically rather than applying one Power8 deadline to every box in the room.

Specifications

AttributeDetail
Form FactorNode-based scale-up enterprise system, up to four nodes
Processor TechnologyPOWER8
Generation NoteC-generation refresh of the 9119-MHE E880, sold with bundled cloud entitlement at launch
Machine Type Warning9080-MHE is the E880C. The original E880 is 9119-MHE.

Machine type, model designation and support dates verified against IBM published documentation. Configuration details vary by build ... read the system VPD for the machine in front of you.

Lifecycle and support status

AttributeStatus
EOS DateOctober 31, 2024
EOS StatusPast IBM standard hardware support.
IBM i CeilingIBM i 7.4 (IBM i 7.5 dropped Power8 support entirely)
IBM i 7.4 Support EndsSeptember 30, 2026

End-of-service dates per the IBM Power8 end of service announcement. IBM i release support dates per IBM i lifecycle documentation.

Best fit

The largest Power8 estates ... multi-node consolidation running many IBM i or AIX partitions where a forklift replacement was never going to be a single weekend.

IBM no longer sells the E880C new. Used and refurbished 9080-MHE systems, replacement parts and memory remain available through IBM i and AS/400 hardware resellers, and third-party maintenance contracts routinely extend hardware support several years past IBM's own end-of-service date.