IBM i 7.4 reaches end of standard support September 30, 2026 — the same day Oracle JDK 17 Premier Support and FortiOS 7.2 expire, and the same day IBM i 7.3's first Service Extension window closes. Every release's dates from 1988's AS/400 to 7.6, the paid Service Extension ladder (7.3 to 2028, 7.4 announced to 2029), and the hardware coupling: Power7 tops out at 7.3, Power8 at 7.4, and 7.6 needs Power10.
IBM i release dates and end-of-support dates: every version since 1988
| Release | Status | Released | End of Support (EOL) | Extended support ends | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM i 7.6 | Supported | Apr 18, 2025 | Not announced | Available | Current release. Requires Power10 or Power11 — Power9 cannot run it. |
| IBM i 7.5 | Supported | May 10, 2022 | Not announced | Available | No announced date; per IBM's policy the date arrives with at least 12 months' notice. Requires Power9 or later. |
| IBM i 7.4 | Warning | Jun 21, 2019 | Sep 30, 2026 | Sep 30, 2029† | 49 days of standard support left at publication. The newest release Power8 can run. |
| IBM i 7.3 | EOL | Apr 15, 2016 | Sep 30, 2023 | Sep 30, 2028 | Two-rung extension ladder: first window ends Sep 30, 2026, extended tier to 2028. Power7's ceiling. |
| IBM i 7.2 | EOL | May 2, 2014 | Apr 30, 2021 | Apr 30, 2026 | Fully dead — the extended Service Extension closed April 30, 2026. |
| IBM i 7.1 | EOL | Apr 23, 2010 | Apr 30, 2018 | Apr 30, 2024† | First Technology Refresh-era release; IBM lists its extension as available through April 2024. |
| IBM i 6.1 | EOL | Mar 21, 2008 | Sep 30, 2015 | Sep 30, 2019 | Covers machine-code levels V6R1M0 and V6R1M1 per IBM's lifecycle notes. |
| V5R4 (5.4) | EOL | Feb 14, 2006 | Sep 30, 2013 | Sep 30, 2017 | Eleven and a half years from GA to the end of its extension — the ladder is not new. |
| V5R3 (5.3) | EOL | Jun 11, 2004 | Apr 30, 2009 | Apr 30, 2013 | |
| V5R2 (5.2) | EOL | Aug 30, 2002 | Apr 30, 2007 | — | |
| V5R1 (5.1) | EOL | May 25, 2001 | Sep 30, 2005 | — | First release whose dates land on the April 30 / September 30 rhythm. |
| V4R5 (4.5) | EOL | Jul 28, 2000 | Jul 31, 2002 | Dec 31, 2002 | |
| V4R4 (4.4) | EOL | May 21, 1999 | May 31, 2001 | Nov 30, 2001 | |
| V4R3 (4.3) | EOL | Sep 11, 1998 | Jan 31, 2001 | — | |
| V4R2 (4.2) | EOL | Feb 27, 1998 | May 31, 2000 | Jan 31, 2001 | |
| V4R1 (4.1) | EOL | Aug 29, 1997 | May 31, 2000 | — | |
| V3R7 (3.7) | EOL | Nov 8, 1996 | Jun 30, 1999 | — | |
| V3R2 (3.2) | EOL | Jun 21, 1996 | May 31, 2000 | — | Shipped out of sequence — GA after V3R6, and outlived it by 19 months. |
| V3R6 (3.6) | EOL | Dec 22, 1995 | Oct 31, 1998 | — | |
| V3R1 (3.1) | EOL | Nov 25, 1994 | Oct 31, 1998 | — | |
| V3R0.5 (3.0) | EOL | Jun 3, 1994 | May 31, 1997 | — | |
| V2R3 (2.3) | EOL | Dec 17, 1993 | May 31, 1996 | — | |
| V2R2 (2.2) | EOL | Sep 18, 1992 | Mar 31, 1995 | — | |
| V2R1 (2.1) | EOL | Mar 6, 1992 | Jun 30, 1994 | — | Oldest cycle in our tracked data; IBM's own table reaches back to Rel 1, GA August 26, 1988. |
What's covered
- How the IBM i lifecycle actually works: one clock per release, Technology Refreshes inside it
- IBM i release dates and end-of-support dates: every version since 1988
- September 30: the triple cliff, and the ladder behind it
- The hardware coupling: your Power generation decides your OS ceiling
- AS/400, iSeries, System i, IBM i: three renames, one lifecycle table
- The two-hop trap: why waiting on IBM i compounds
Full guide with every version, risk scores, and live updates: https://endoflife.ai/article-ibm-i-eol
