Predictika · IBM Power10 server quotes

An AI sales agent's IBM Power quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for IBM Power10 servers (S1014, S1022, S1024, E1050 and E1080) with processor modules, permanent core activations, memory, AIX, IBM i or Linux, software maintenance and Power Expert Care. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the product and quoting rules, compares the total the quote states with the computed one, and returns every finding together with the line-item quote. This is an illustrative model built from IBM's public product information with fictional prices; it is not IBM's internal rule set.

Scope: quotes for IBM Power10 servers (S1014, S1022, S1024, E1050, E1080) with processor modules, core activations, memory, operating system licensing and Expert Care. See everything this validator covers

This validator models one product line: IBM's Power10 server family, specifically the S1014, S1022, S1024, E1050 and E1080, and the licensing and service choices that go with them. It handles any quote involving these servers, activations, operating system licenses and Expert Care tiers, not only the scenarios shown on this page. It does not cover Power9 or earlier systems, IBM storage, or software licensed apart from a Power10 server.

  • Covered: server and processor fit — which processor modules belong to which server, the socket range for each server (E1080 4 to 16, E1050 2 to 4, S1014 one socket), and active cores against installed cores.
  • Covered: activation and memory — the minimum permanent activation by server class (100 percent on the S1014 and S1022, 50 percent on the others), memory against each server's per-socket maximum, memory in 64 GB steps, and architect approval when memory falls below 16 GB per active core.
  • Covered: operating system licensing — AIX and IBM i per-core prices that depend on the server, IBM i's exclusion from the E1050, licensed cores between 1 and the active cores, and software maintenance at 20 percent a year after year 1.
  • Covered: Expert Care and discounting — Basic, Advanced and Premium tiers (Premium only on the enterprise E1050 and E1080), terms of 1 to 5 years, hardware discount authority by server class (15 percent for a rep, 25 percent scale-out and 30 percent enterprise with approval), a 10 percent cap on the operating system discount, the line-item quote, and the total the agent states.
  • Not covered — Power9 and earlier, IBM Storage, PowerVM and other software licensed separately, Capacity on Demand temporary or elastic activations, mixed processor modules in one server, I/O adapters, and real IBM prices or discount schedules. Other areas can be added.
  • Labeled as assumptions — prices, activation minimums, support percentages and the discount limits are invented illustrative values, not IBM data.
The AI sales agentBuilds the IBM Power quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 4 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Minimum activation that depends on the server class and the installed coresOnly with care
The minimum is a percentage of sockets times cores per module, and the percentage differs by server. It can be built as a formula and a rule per server, but each new server or module adds rules that someone has to keep in step.		Installed cores and the minimum are computed for the chosen server on every call; 24 active of 60 installed blocks on the E1080, and 32 passes.
Operating system price and availability that depend on the serverOnly with care
AIX and IBM i are priced per core by server, and IBM i is not offered on the E1050. That is a price table plus an exclusion rule per product pair, kept up to date by hand.		The price is read from the chosen server, the E1050 exclusion is checked in the same call, and licensed cores are held between 1 and the active cores.
Memory in 64 GB steps and in proportion to the active coresOnly with care
A step check and a ratio check against a computed field need a formula field for the activated cores and one for the step, and they are easy to leave out of a new product.		Both checks run together; 1,000 GB blocks on the step, and 1,024 GB against 96 active cores needs an architect.
A stated total that does not match the computed priceOnly with workarounds
A validation rule can compare a stated total with a calculated field, but only if the stated total is a field on the quote, which it rarely is.		The stated total travels with the quote and is compared with the computed one on every call.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
11,000 GB of memory is below 16 GB per active core for 64 active cores; solution-architect sign-off is needed.
22 sockets is outside the 4 to 16 range for Power E1080.
32,048 GB of memory is more than the 1,024 GB this 1-socket Power S1014 can hold.
424 active cores is below the minimum permanent activation of 30 cores (50 percent of 60 installed) on Power E1080.
530 licensed cores must be between 1 and the 24 active cores.
650 active cores is more than the 40 cores installed.
7A hardware discount of 20 percent is above the 15 percent a rep may give alone.
8A hardware discount of 32 percent is above the 25 percent maximum for Power S1024.
9A support term of 6 years is not offered; choose 1 to 5 years.
10An operating system discount of 12 percent is above the 10 percent cap.
11Expert Care Premium is offered only on enterprise servers, not on Power S1024.
12IBM i is not supported on Power E1050.
13Memory of 1,000 GB must be ordered in 64 GB increments.
14Processor module S1024 16-core module does not fit Power S1022; each Power10 server takes only its own processor modules.
15Stated total does not match: the agent stated $696,000.00; the validator computes $711,791.36.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Activation and licensing: Too few cores active and too many licensed

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Power E1080 for Harborview Bank with four 15-core processor modules, 24 cores activated, 2,048 GB of memory and AIX licensed on 30 cores. Add Premium Expert Care for 3 years and a 20 percent hardware discount. The quote states a total of $696,000.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Below minimum permanent activation. 24 active cores is below the minimum permanent activation of 30 cores (50 percent of 60 installed) on Power E1080.
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  • Licensed cores out of range. 30 licensed cores must be between 1 and the 24 active cores.
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  • Stated total does not match. Stated total does not match: the agent stated $696,000.00; the validator computes $711,791.36.
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  • Discount needs approval. A hardware discount of 20 percent is above the 15 percent a rep may give alone.
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2. Activation and licensing: 32 cores active, corrected total

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Power E1080 for Harborview Bank with four 15-core processor modules, 32 cores activated, 2,048 GB of memory and AIX licensed on 30 cores. Add Premium Expert Care for 3 years and a 15 percent hardware discount. The quote states a total of $767,442.56. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Total $767,442.56: server $160,000.00; processor $184,000.00; core activation $102,400.00; memory $57,344.00; operating system $102,000.00; software maintenance $40,800.00; expert care $196,460.16; discount $-75,561.60.
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3. Server and memory fit: IBM i on the E1050, memory off the 64 GB step

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Power E1050 for Tidewater Insurance with four 24-core processor modules, 64 cores activated, 1,000 GB of memory and IBM i licensed on 16 cores. Add Advanced Expert Care for 3 years and a 12 percent hardware discount. The quote states a total of $380,190.00. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Memory not in 64 GB steps. Memory of 1,000 GB must be ordered in 64 GB increments.
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  • IBM i not available on this server. IBM i is not supported on Power E1050.
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  • Memory thin for the active cores. 1,000 GB of memory is below 16 GB per active core for 64 active cores; solution-architect sign-off is needed.
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4. Server and memory fit: AIX with 1,024 GB of memory

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Power E1050 for Tidewater Insurance with four 24-core processor modules, 64 cores activated, 1,024 GB of memory and AIX licensed on 64 cores. Add Advanced Expert Care for 3 years and a 12 percent hardware discount. The quote states a total of $613,812.40. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. Total $613,812.40: server $85,000.00; processor $100,000.00; core activation $121,600.00; memory $24,576.00; operating system $166,400.00; software maintenance $66,560.00; expert care $89,417.52; discount $-39,741.12.
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5. Care and discount: Premium care for 6 years, 32 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Power S1024 for Pinecrest Logistics with two 24-core processor modules, 48 cores activated, 1,536 GB of memory and IBM i licensed on 12 cores. Add Premium Expert Care for 6 years and a 32 percent hardware discount. The quote states a total of $914,834.08. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Premium care not offered on this server. Expert Care Premium is offered only on enterprise servers, not on Power S1024.
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  • Support term not offered. A support term of 6 years is not offered; choose 1 to 5 years.
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  • Discount above the maximum. A hardware discount of 32 percent is above the 25 percent maximum for Power S1024.
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6. Care and discount: Advanced care for 5 years, 22 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Power S1024 for Pinecrest Logistics with two 24-core processor modules, 48 cores activated, 1,536 GB of memory and IBM i licensed on 12 cores. Add Advanced Expert Care for 5 years and a 22 percent hardware discount. The quote states a total of $812,141.04. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount needs approval. A hardware discount of 22 percent is above the 15 percent a rep may give alone.
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  • Quote summary. Total $812,141.04: server $26,000.00; processor $27,000.00; core activation $52,800.00; memory $27,648.00; operating system $360,000.00; software maintenance $288,000.00; expert care $60,051.60; discount $-29,358.56.
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7. Memory sizing: 96 active cores with 1,024 GB of memory

    
The agent's request. Please quote a Power E1050 for Granite Mutual with four 24-core processor modules, all 96 cores activated, 1,024 GB of memory and AIX licensed on 96 cores. Add Premium Expert Care for 3 years and a 10 percent hardware discount. The quote states a total of $855,089.04. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Memory thin for the active cores. 1,024 GB of memory is below 16 GB per active core for 96 active cores; solution-architect sign-off is needed.
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  • Quote summary. Total $855,089.04: server $85,000.00; processor $100,000.00; core activation $182,400.00; memory $24,576.00; operating system $249,600.00; software maintenance $99,840.00; expert care $152,870.64; discount $-39,197.60.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for IBM Power10 servers (S1014, S1022, S1024, E1050 and E1080). Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the product and quoting rules, compares the total the quote states with the computed one, and returns every finding together with the line-item quote. This is an illustrative model built from IBM's public product information with fictional prices; it is not IBM's internal rule set.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote a Power E1080 for Harborview Bank with four 15-core processor modules, 24 cores activated, 2,048 GB of memory and AIX licensed on 30 cores. Add Premium Expert Care for 3 years and a 20 percent hardware discount. The rest of the request is on screen. The quote states a total of $696,000.00.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with three findings and one approval, all in one answer. 24 active cores is below the minimum permanent activation of 30 cores (50 percent of 60 installed) on Power E1080. 30 licensed cores must be between 1 and the 24 active cores. Stated total does not match: the agent stated $696,000.00; the validator computes $711,791.36.
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  6. The validator returned three blocking findings and one approval in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for minimum activation that depends on the server class and the installed cores, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the cores activated to 32, the hardware discount to 15 percent and the stated total to $767,442.56.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. The validator also returns the line-item quote. It starts with Power E1080 system unit and E1080 15-core module; the other six lines are on screen.
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  13. All four earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, $767,442.56, matches the quote.
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  14. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $767,442.56 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    15.