IBM End of Support September 30, 2026: z/OS 2.5, IBM i 7.4, Semeru 26
If you searched "IBM end of life" this month, this is the date you were looking for. On September 30, 2026, three IBM support clocks stop at once. z/OS 2.5 leaves standard support on IBM's product lifecycle list. IBM i 7.4 leaves standard support on IBM's IBM i Release Life Cycle table, with a paid Service Extension behind it. IBM Semeru Runtime 26, IBM's build of the six-month Java release, retires the same day. IBM retires software on its fiscal calendar, so its dates cluster on September 30 and April 30; this is the September where three of the products we track land together. The full IBM picture, every tracked release of z/OS, IBM i, AIX, Db2, MQ and Semeru, is on our IBM end-of-life matrix. This page is the short version for one date.
The three clocks
Dates from the data we serve: z/OS from IBM's product lifecycle list, IBM i from IBM's IBM i Release Life Cycle table, Semeru from our Semeru page (upstream data; IBM publishes Semeru support on its Semeru Runtimes support page, which we have not yet adapted).
| Product | Released | End of standard support | After the date | Move to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| z/OS 2.5 | 2021-09-30 | Sep 30, 2026 | Extended support; no completion date on IBM's list yet | z/OS 3.1 (2023-09-29) or 3.2 (2025-09-30); neither has an announced end date |
| IBM i 7.4 | 2019-06-21 | Sep 30, 2026 | Paid Service Extension to Sep 30, 2029 | IBM i 7.5 (2022-05-10) or 7.6 (2025-04-18); Power9 or later hardware required |
| Semeru Runtime 26 | 2026-03-18 | Sep 30, 2026 | Nothing; six-month releases are replaced | A long-support line: 25 (to Sep 30, 2030) or 21 (to Dec 31, 2029) |
IBM i 7.4: the row with a price and a hardware test
IBM i 7.4, already withdrawn from marketing under announcement letter AD25-0894 (covered in our IBM i 7.4 article), leaves standard support on September 30, 2026. IBM's answer for shops that cannot move in time is a Service Extension: continued defect and security support for a defined window, which for 7.4 runs to September 30, 2029. IBM has historically priced Service Extensions at roughly twice the cost of standard support, with narrower scope, so the extension is a bridge with a toll, not a place to live.
The hardware test is the part that turns a software date into a procurement project. 7.4 is the last IBM i release that Power8 systems run; 7.5 and 7.6 require Power9 or later. On Power9, Power10 or Power11 the upgrade is an operating-system change. On Power8 it is a server replacement with lead times to match, and the Service Extension is what buys the time to do it. IBM's own record on the previous release shows the shape of that window: IBM i 7.3 left standard support on September 30, 2023 and its extension runs to September 30, 2028.
z/OS 2.5: extended support without a published end
IBM's product lifecycle list ends standard support for z/OS 2.5 on September 30, 2026. Unlike IBM i, the list carries no completion date yet for extended support on 2.5; only the two oldest releases we track have one. Those two are the precedent worth knowing. z/OS 2.2 left standard support on September 30, 2020 and its extended support completes on September 30, 2027; z/OS 2.1 left standard support on September 30, 2018 and its extended support completed on January 31, 2026. Extended support on z/OS has run for years, and it has also ended.
The supported releases are z/OS 3.1, generally available September 29, 2023, and z/OS 3.2, generally available September 30, 2025. Neither has an announced end date. IBM's cadence on this list has been a release every two Septembers and five years of standard support each, which is why 2.5, released September 30, 2021, ends now; we publish the pattern as an observation, and the dates only as IBM states them.
Semeru 26: replaced, not extended
IBM Semeru Runtime 26 shipped on March 18, 2026 and retires on September 30, 2026, the normal life of a six-month Java feature release. There is no extension to buy. A workload on 26 moves to the next feature release or, if it wants to stop moving, to a long-support line. As our Semeru page serves them: 25 runs to September 30, 2030, 21 to December 31, 2029, 17 and 11 both to October 31, 2027, and 8 to December 31, 2030. Note the 17 and 11 date: both are a year out, and a shop that lands on either in October is booking its next move already.
IBM dates that are not September 30, 2026
"IBM end of life" searches tend to assume every IBM product shares the date. Three that people ask about do not:
| Product | Its next deadline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| AIX 7.3 TL2 | November 30, 2026 | AIX support runs per Technology Level; TL3 runs to December 31, 2027 and TL4 to December 31, 2028 |
| Db2 11.5 | April 30, 2027 | IBM's other fiscal date; Db2 12.1 has no announced end |
| IBM MQ 9.3 | September 30, 2027 | MQ dates do land on September 30, but 9.2's was September 30, 2025 and 9.3's is next year; nothing on MQ ends this month |
What to do before the date
IBM i 7.4: find out which Power generation you are on first; that answer decides whether you are planning an upgrade to 7.5 or 7.6, or a hardware refresh with a Service Extension covering the gap. Get the extension quote before the date, not after: the terms are IBM's, and the window IBM publishes closes on September 30, 2029.
z/OS 2.5: confirm with IBM what extended support on 2.5 includes and costs, since the lifecycle list states no completion date for it; then plan the migration to 3.1 or 3.2 against IBM's two-September cadence rather than against the extended phase, which IBM's own record shows does end.
Semeru 26: move the JVM. If the application can take a long-support line, 25 or 21 removes the six-month clock; if it cannot, the next feature release is a stopgap with the same clock.
Everything else IBM: check the matrix. AIX, Db2 and MQ have deadlines, and none of them is this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What IBM products reach end of support on September 30, 2026?
Three that we track: z/OS 2.5 (end of standard support on IBM's product lifecycle list), IBM i 7.4 (end of standard support per IBM's IBM i Release Life Cycle table) and IBM Semeru Runtime 26. IBM MQ, Db2 and AIX have no deadline on that date: MQ 9.3 runs to September 30, 2027, Db2 11.5 to April 30, 2027 and AIX 7.3 TL2 to November 30, 2026.
What happens to IBM i 7.4 after September 30, 2026?
Standard support ends on September 30, 2026. IBM offers a paid Service Extension for 7.4 that runs to September 30, 2029; IBM has historically priced Service Extensions at roughly twice standard support with a narrower scope. The supported releases are IBM i 7.5 and 7.6, both without an announced end date, and both require Power9 or later hardware.
What happens to z/OS 2.5 after September 30, 2026?
IBM's product lifecycle list ends standard support on September 30, 2026 and shows no completion date yet for extended support on 2.5. IBM's record on earlier releases shows how long that phase can run: z/OS 2.2 left standard support on September 30, 2020 and its extended support completes on September 30, 2027. z/OS 3.1 and 3.2 are the supported releases, neither with an announced end date.
Is Semeru Runtime 26 an LTS release?
No. Semeru 26 is a six-month feature release and retires on September 30, 2026. The Semeru lines with long support are 25 (to September 30, 2030), 21 (to December 31, 2029), 17 and 11 (both to October 31, 2027) and 8 (to December 31, 2030).
Sources
- IBM Software Support Lifecycle list — z/OS general availability, end of standard support and extended-support completion; read nightly by our z/OS adapter
- IBM i Release Life Cycle — IBM i general availability and end of program support per release; read nightly by our IBM i adapter
- IBM i 7.4 end of life — announcement letter AD25-0894 and the Service Extension window
- Semeru Runtime — per-version dates and sources as we serve them
Related
- IBM End-of-Life Dates: The Complete Enterprise Matrix — every tracked release of z/OS, IBM i, AIX, Db2, MQ and Semeru
- IBM MQ end of support — why every MQ date lands on a September 30, and which one is yours
- IBM AIX end of life — the Technology Level clock behind the 7.3 label
- IBM Db2 end of life — 11.5's 2027 deadline and every version's dates
- How we verify our dates — the rules every number on this site is held to