New York

IBM is introducing a new mainframe in a bet that clients will need its souped-up speed and security to handle a surge in consumers using smartphones for everything from banking to checking health-care records.

The z13 system can encrypt and analyse data in real time and process 30,000 transactions a second, International Business Machines Corp announced on Wednesday. That means faster and safer transactions for consumers on mobile phones. The system is the result of five years of development and a more than US$1 billion investment, said Donna Dillenberger, an IBM distinguished engineer who helped develop the machine.