Big Blue is pledging $200 million to support climate change research in collaboration with the World Community Grid, which utilizes free computing power on devices from more than 730,000 volunteers.
“Computational research is a powerful tool for advancing research on climate change and related environmental challenges,” said Jennifer Ryan Crozier, Vice President of IBM Corporate Citizenship and President of the IBM International Foundation, in announcing the new initiative on Monday.
“IBM is proud to help advance essential efforts to combat climate change by providing scientists with free access to massive computing power, cloud resources, and weather data.”
IBM is now accepting applications for research projects. Deadline for the first round is Sept. 15.
Up to five projects will receive support.
“Proposals will be evaluated for scientific merit, potential to contribute to the global community’s understanding of specific climate and environmental challenges or development of effective strategies to mitigate them, and the capacity of the research team to manage a sustained research project,” IBM explained.
Winners will be selected this fall.
IBM launched the World Community Grid in 2004, and to date it has supported 28 projects across a variety of issues, including:
- Cancer
- HIV/AIDS
- Zika
- Clean water
- Renewable energy
Computing power is utilized from millions of devices across more than 730,000 people plus 430 institutions spread across 80 countries.
- To learn more about the grid project, see: https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/
- For a video about the grid project, watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX3J6G1SR8Q
IBM operates one of its largest corporate campuses in RTP and employs several thousand people across North Carolina.
