AS400 Cloud Integration
IBM i does not run on general-purpose public cloud infrastructure, but that does not mean AS400 environments are cut off from cloud services. Backup and disaster recovery, hybrid application architectures, and IBM's own Power-based cloud hosting are all realistic paths.
"Move AS400 to the cloud" is a common request that usually needs unpacking, because IBM i does not run on general-purpose public cloud infrastructure the way a Linux or Windows application server does. IBM i requires IBM Power Systems hardware. That constraint rules out a lift-and-shift to standard cloud compute, but it does not rule out cloud integration; it just means the integration looks different than it would for an x86 application.
Why IBM i Cloud Migration Is Different
Public clouds like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud run on x86 infrastructure and do not offer native IBM Power Systems compute the way they offer standard virtual machines. This means IBM i cannot simply be redeployed onto general-purpose cloud infrastructure. Organizations that hear "cloud" and assume a straightforward migration path are usually working from an x86 mental model that does not directly apply to IBM i.
Backup and Disaster Recovery
The most common and lowest-risk form of AS400 cloud integration is using cloud storage as a backup or disaster recovery target: replicating IBM i save files, journal data, or full system images to cloud storage, either directly or through a managed backup service. This gives organizations offsite DR protection without requiring the primary IBM i workload itself to move anywhere.
IBM Power Systems Cloud Hosting
IBM offers Power Systems hosting options that run genuine IBM Power (and therefore IBM i) infrastructure in an IBM-managed cloud environment, rather than requiring on-premises hardware. This is the closest equivalent to a true "IBM i in the cloud" path, since it runs on the same Power architecture IBM i requires, hosted by IBM rather than owned on-site. Evaluating this option means comparing IBM's hosted Power offerings against continuing to own on-premises hardware, a decision that depends heavily on capital budgeting preferences and existing data center commitments.
Hybrid Architectures
The most common real-world pattern is hybrid: IBM i stays on Power hardware, whether on-premises or IBM-hosted, while surrounding services, web front ends, mobile backends, analytics platforms, and integration middleware, run in a general-purpose public cloud and connect back to IBM i through API integration. This pattern lets an organization use modern cloud-native tooling for everything around the core system, without needing IBM i itself to run on non-Power infrastructure.