Kyndryl Inc. on Monday unfurled artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mainframe services designed to help organizations leverage AI on their legacy systems to ease critical skills shortages.
The new services combine Kyndryl’s mainframe expertise with agentic AI to accelerate development cycles and enhance operational efficiency for IBM z/OS customers. The services automate complex processes across application and infrastructure management, enabling faster decision-making in an increasingly AI landscape.
“Kyndryl is leading the way in providing world-class agentic AI-enabled delivery services to customers that will instill confidence in the mainframe’s role as an engine of innovation,” said Hassan Zamat, global practice leader for core enterprise and zCloud at Kyndryl, said in a statement.
The announcement positions Kyndryl to capitalize on the intersection of the enduring importance of mainframes in enterprise computing as well as the need to infuse those systems with modern AI capabilities, Kyndryl said.
At the core of the launch is Kyndryl AI Mentor for Z, an AI knowledge base that draws on the company’s decades of mainframe experience. Integrated within Kyndryl’s Bridge platform, the tool addresses the shortage of skilled mainframe professionals.
The services promise several key benefits, including proactive issue resolution, improved software compliance, and faster response times to emerging threats. By bringing AI inferencing closer to mainframe data, Kyndryl aims to reduce latency and enhance performance in critical applications such as real-time fraud detection and insurance claim processing.
“Through our collaboration with Kyndryl, we’re helping enterprises bring powerful AI capabilities to the core systems that run their business,” said Skyla Loomis, general manager of IBM Z Software. “Kyndryl’s newest AI services empower clients to deploy advanced AI on the mainframes that form the backbone of their operations to accelerate decision-making and drive operational agility.”
According to Kyndryl’s 2025 State of Mainframe Modernization Survey, 88% of respondents have implemented or plan to implement AI technologies in their mainframe environments. However, the survey also revealed 70% struggle to find adequately skilled talent within their organizations.
Survey respondents cited increased business agility, reduced human error, and cost savings as primary motivators. The study projects AI adoption could drive $12.7 billion in cost savings and $19.5 billion in increased revenues over the next three years.
Kyndryl’s approach leverages partnerships with cloud hyperscalers and integrates technologies including IBM watsonx Assistant for Z. The services work within the company’s Agentic AI Framework, enabling orchestration of AI agents and workflows across hybrid IT environments.
