IBM and C40 Cities today announced a new collaboration through the IBM Sustainability Accelerator aimed at scaling up social innovation action in cities around the world.
In alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, the new project will develop artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to advance city resiliency and address specific challenges facing urban communities.
At the beginning of 2024, IBM held a request for proposals for nonprofit and government organisations, focused on technology-driven projects to advance city resiliency. Out of more than 100 applicants, C40 Cities was one of five organisations selected to participate in this new cohort of IBM Sustainability Accelerator projects.
Participants were selected for their significant level of support to the communities they serve, as well as the innovative ways each organisation plans to leverage AI technology to build more resilient cities. Each organisation will receive up to $3 million in cash and in-kind donations of technology and services.
IBM and C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities, will work together to create a data-driven, AI-powered solution to help cities analyse potential risks that may arise as a result of extreme heat and the urban heat island effect. These can include stressed energy resources, increases in mortality rates, and socioeconomic disparities. The new solution will aim to enable cities to create adaptation strategies to help alleviate population health risks and economic burdens, while strengthening national resilience efforts. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and the Group on Earth Observations will also support this project.
Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities said: “Cities are on the frontline of an extreme heat crisis. Through this collaboration with IBM’s Sustainability Accelerator, we have a groundbreaking opportunity to harness AI-driven solutions to help cities analyse risks, strengthen resilience, and protect their most vulnerable communities. At C40, we are committed to ensuring mayors have the best data and tools available to make informed decisions and drive impactful climate action. We look forward to working with IBM to develop innovative strategies that will help cities worldwide adapt to rising temperatures and build a more sustainable future.”
The IBM Sustainability Accelerator is a social innovation program that applies IBM technologies, such as hybrid cloud and AI, and an ecosystem of experts to enhance and scale nonprofit and government organisation initiatives, accelerating economic impact for communities vulnerable to climate stress.
“AI has the potential to unlock a new economic and innovation era for communities worldwide, helping people tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow. 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,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM Vice President and Chief Impact Officer.
IBM and C40 Cities will collaborate over two years and in two phases. The first phase will begin with the IBM Garage, IBM’s proven methodology for accelerating digital transformation and delivering meaningful, measurable, outcomes. Next, during the Development and Implementation phase, IBM experts will configure IBM resources and technology to help participants meet their goals, as well as support pilot deployments in communities and facilitate further scaling.
To date, 20 organisations have been part of the IBM Sustainability Accelerator supporting vulnerable populations around the world. As of last year, IBM has supported approximately 65,300 direct beneficiaries through our sustainable agriculture cohort, with approximately 1.1 million more projected to benefit from our clean energy cohort. And, we expect these resilient cities projects will benefit thousands of citizens across the world.