IBM Third Cohort Water management
IBM: SCALING SOCIAL INNOVATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
IBM’ s Sustainability Accelerator focuses on social innovation rather than direct infrastructure deployment. The programme applies hybrid cloud and AI technologies to enhance initiatives from nonprofits and government organisations, with particular emphasis on communities most vulnerable to climate stress.
The company selected C40 Cities from over 100 applicants based on the scale of community support and the innovative ways each organisation plans to leverage AI technology.
The extreme heat collaboration aims to help smart cities develop adaptation strategies that reduce both health risks and economic burdens – essentially building resilience from the ground up.
“ AI has the potential to unlock a new economic and innovation era for communities worldwide, helping people tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow,” says Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM Vice President and Chief Impact Officer.
“ We believe that much of this potential to improve people’ s lives resides in transforming cities and this is what we are aiming to do with our AI technology and expertise.”
The work unfolds across two phases. IBM Garage methodology handles the first, accelerating digital transformation and establishing measurable outcomes.
The Development and Implementation phase follows, with IBM experts configuring resources to support pilot deployments and scaling across multiple cities.
136 February 2026