We are pleased to announce the general availability of IBM^® Semeru Runtime™ Certified Edition for z/OS^® 17.0.15.0 and 21.0.7.0 (2Q25 update for v17 and v21 respectively). These releases contain new features and significant value-adds along with the latest security update from OpenJDK 17.0.15+6 and 21.0.7+6 (Apr'25 CPU Update) respectively. The binaries have been made available on our standard distribution sites as on 09^th Jun 2025.

New Features and Key Contents in IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS 17.0.15.0 and 21.0.7.0:

• Support for the new IBM z17™ hardware. The JVM transparently uses 22 new IBM z17 hardware instructions to deliver better performance for your Java™ workloads. In addition, the OpenJCEPlus provider uses the z17 hardware to accelerate the Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) algorithm, improving message digest performance for Java workloads. Read more about unlocking IBM z17 Java Performance with IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS here.
• Support for the Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) for Java applications. The IBMJCECCA security provider is enhanced to support PQC on Java through the NIST standard algorithms Module Lattice - Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM) and Module Lattice - Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA). You can read more about PQC support with IBMJCECCA security provider here.
• Support for JDK Flight Recorder (JFR), a low-overhead, continuous workload monitoring and diagnostics tool on the z/OS platform. JFR user guide blog and documentation can be found here. Read more about JFR, other additional features and fixes delivered as part of OpenJ9 VM in IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS here. 
• The Java™ Batch Launcher and Toolkit for z/OS® (JZOS) has added a new section to SMF Record type 121 (Java runtime performance statistics) that includes information about JES job that launched the Java instance that a SMF 121 record belongs to in order to make analysis and troubleshooting easier. You can read more about it here.

• Refer to 'What's New' section in IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS 17.0.15.0 and 21.0.7.0 for more detailed information.

Download Links:

• IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS 17.0.15.0 and 21.0.7.0 are available on Java Information Manager (JIM) (IBM Only Access).
• Downloads of IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS 17.0.15.0 and 21.0.7.0 are also available at EPWT site.
• The SMP/E installable format is available only through Shopz. Visit the Shopz website at Shopzseries.

Additional Information:

• Documentation for IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS Version 17 is available here.
• Documentation for IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition for z/OS Version 21 is available here.
• Documentation for JDK Flight Recorder (JFR) can be found here. A blog about Collecting and transporting a JFR dump from a containerized environment is available here.

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