LibrePower Linux

Native ppc64le builds on real IBM POWER hardware — free for the open source community.

Unlocking Power Systems through open source. Unmatched RAS and TCO. Minimal footprint 🌍

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Join the Community

LibrePower is more than Linux—we're building open source support across the entire IBM Power ecosystem: AIX, IBM i, and Linux on Power (ppc64le).

📬 Subscribe to our newsletter for releases, technical articles, and community updates.

🌐 librepower.org — Launching February 2026

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Quick Start

1. Request access → hello@librepower.org

2. Add to your .gitlab-ci.yml:

build-ppc64le:
  tags:
    - ppc64le
  image: ubuntu:24.04
  script:
    - apt-get update && apt-get install -y build-essential
    - gcc -o myprogram main.c
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - myprogram

3. Push and build.

Every commit builds on real ppc64le. Your binaries are real ppc64le binaries.

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Linux on Power

The ppc64le (PowerPC 64-bit Little Endian) architecture runs on IBM Power Systems, the same hardware that powers enterprise AIX and IBM i workloads.

Supported Distributions

Distribution	Status	Notes
Ubuntu	✅ Full support	Our infrastructure runs on Ubuntu
Red Hat Enterprise Linux	✅ Full support	Official IBM partnership
SUSE Linux Enterprise	✅ Full support	Official IBM partnership
AlmaLinux	✅ Full support	RHEL-compatible
Rocky Linux	✅ Full support	RHEL-compatible
Debian	✅ Full support	Community-driven
openSUSE	✅ Full support	Community-driven

Any Docker image with linux/ppc64le support works with our runner.

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Our Infrastructure

We run our GitLab Runner on real IBM Power Systems hardware—not emulation, not cross-compilation.

💡 Have spare POWER hardware? We accept server donations to expand capacity. Contact us at hello@librepower.org

Component	Spec
Hardware	IBM Power S924
CPU	POWER9, 24 cores, 192 threads
Memory	2 TB
Host OS	Ubuntu 22.04 ppc64le
Isolation	LXD containers
Executor	Docker

Why LXD?

LXD provides system containers that combine the density of containers with the security of virtual machines. Each CI job runs in an isolated Docker container inside our LXD environment—your code never touches our host system.

Resources Per Job

Resource	Limit
CPUs	4 cores
Memory	8 GB
Timeout	1 hour

Need more? Let us know.

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What You Can Build

Language	Image	Example
C/C++	ubuntu:24.04	gcc, cmake, make
Rust	rust:latest	cargo build --release
Go	golang:latest	go build
Python	python:3.12	pip install, pytest
Node.js	node:22	npm install, npm test

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Example Pipelines

Rust

build:
  tags: [ppc64le]
  image: rust:latest
  script:
    - cargo build --release
    - cargo test
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - target/release/

Go

build:
  tags: [ppc64le]
  image: golang:latest
  script:
    - go build -o myapp .
    - go test ./...
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - myapp

C/C++ with CMake

build:
  tags: [ppc64le]
  image: ubuntu:24.04
  script:
    - apt-get update && apt-get install -y build-essential cmake
    - mkdir build && cd build
    - cmake .. && make -j4
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - build/

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Projects Using This Runner

Project	Description
LibrePower AWX	AWX (Ansible Automation Platform) for ppc64le
Your project here	Request access

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How to Contribute

LibrePower thrives on community contributions. Here's how you can help:

🐛 Report Issues

Found a problem? Open an issue on GitLab.

📦 Test Your Projects

Build your open source project on ppc64le and report compatibility issues upstream. More projects supporting POWER means a stronger ecosystem.

📝 Improve Documentation

See something unclear? Submit a merge request with improvements.

🔧 Contribute Docker Images

Create and publish ppc64le Docker images for tools that don't have official builds. Tag them with linux/ppc64le on Docker Hub or GitLab Registry.

💬 Spread the Word

Tell other developers about ppc64le support. The more projects that build on POWER, the better the ecosystem becomes.

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Get Access

Email hello@librepower.org with:

• Your GitLab username
• Project URL
• What you're building

We typically respond within 24-48 hours. Priority given to open source projects.

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About LibrePower

LibrePower brings modern open source tools to IBM Power Systems—extending the life and capabilities of enterprise infrastructure.

We believe POWER deserves first-class open source support. That means native packages for AIX, wheels for Python, containers for Kubernetes, and CI/CD for everyone building on ppc64le.

🌐 librepower.org 📦 AIX Packages — DNF repository for AIX 📬 Newsletter — Technical articles and releases

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License

Documentation: CC BY-SA 4.0

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A project by SIXE — IBM Power specialists helping enterprises maximize their POWER investment.