IBM and Polytechnique Montréal Launch AI Initiative to Strengthen Forestry Supply Chain
Project is part of the IBM Impact Accelerator and will apply IBM’s AI, data and quantum technologies to address local challenges in Canada’s forest value chain
IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Polytechnique Montréal today announced a new collaboration through the IBM Impact Accelerator, IBM’s pro bono social innovation program that helps nonprofit and government organizations scale AI-powered solutions for communities and systems facing environmental and economic challenges. The project is part of IBM’s 2025 cohort focused on sustainably strengthening supply chains.
At the beginning of 2025, IBM issued a global request for proposals to identify nonprofit and government organizations working on solutions that use AI to optimize resources, modernize supply chains, reduce emissions and expand digital readiness. Following a multi-criteria review, Polytechnique Montréal, a leading Canadian engineering university whose research group focuses on AI and data-driven tools for sustainable industrial transformation, was selected to participate in this new cohort of IBM Impact Accelerator projects.
Canada’s forest sector is a cornerstone of its economy and environment–contributing $33.4 billion to GDP and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across rural and northern communities. It supplies renewable materials for construction, packaging, and bioenergy. Yet it faces mounting challenges from climate change, supply chain disruptions, and the need for sustainable transformation. This initiative brings advanced AI- and quantum-enabled technologies to one of Canada’s most vital sectors, helping build smarter, more resilient forest systems for future generations.
“Polytechnique Montreal is very happy to be joining the IBM Impact Accelerator program as part the 2025 cohort. This new partnership with IBM will be key to enable us to fully develop the AI and quantum-enabled decision-support tool we are currently working on which aims at transforming the raw forest biomass into a wide range of products while providing sustainable forest management and harvesting,” said François Bertrand, VP of Research and Innovationat Polytechnique Montréal.
Polytechnique Montréal, will work with IBM to develop an AI and quantum-enabled decision-support tool for Canada’s forest value chain. As a member of the IBM co-founded, community-led Sustainability Quantum Working Group, Polytechnique is working with IVADO, with access to the IBM Quantum System One administered by PINQ2, to explore models supporting this sector. The project integrates operational data and machine learning, and explores digital twins and multi-objective optimization, to improve harvest planning, yield forecasting and supply chain decisions while balancing cost, energy use, and emissions.
IBM and Polytechnique Montreal 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.
“We’re in an era where advanced technologies like AI are moving beyond innovation labs and into communities to solve real supply chain and infrastructure challenges. This new IBM Impact Accelerator cohort shows what’s possible when we combine our tools with local insight to build stronger, more sustainable systems,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President and Chief Impact Officer, IBM.
Organizations were selected for their level of support to communities, the feasibility and sustainability of proposed technology solutions, and transparency on measurement and reporting, among other considerations. IBM’s contribution includes co-designed solutions, technology and expertise. This cohort also benefits from the support of EY and ServiceNow. EY teams will provide capacity-building workshops and coaching, while ServiceNow will offer the opportunity for technical expertise, in-kind grants, and digital transformation support to eligible projects.
In 2024, IBM announced a commitment to make up to $45M in cash and in-kind donations of technology and services over five years for the IBM Impact Accelerator to support populations facing environmental and economic threats around the world. Including the new supply chain modernization cohort, 25 organizations have been supported by the program. To date, IBM Impact Accelerator projects have directly benefited approximately 2.5 million people globally across sustainable agriculture, clean energy, water management and resilient cities projects.
About the IBM Impact Accelerator
Launched in 2022, the IBM Impact Accelerator is a social innovation program that supports communities facing environmental and economic stress around the world, through technologies like AI and an ecosystem of experts. Each year, the program selects five new projects to develop and scale technology and AI solutions addressing topics like sustainable agriculture, clean energy, water management, resilient cities and supply chains. For more information,
visit: https://www.ibm.com/responsibility/programs/ibm-impact-accelerator
Source: IBM
