IBM and Polytechnique Montréal announced a new partnership on Thursday, 13, aimed at applying advanced Artificial Intelligence, data and quantum technologies to modernize Canada’s forestry value chain. The initiative is part of the IBM Impact Accelerator, the company’s social innovation program that supports public and nonprofit organizations working to address environmental and economic challenges through technology.
Polytechnique Montréal was selected following a global call for proposals that sought projects capable of optimizing resources, modernizing supply chains, reducing emissions, and improving digital readiness. The university, recognized for its research in AI-driven tools for sustainable industrial transformation, will work with IBM to build a quantum-enabled, AI-powered decision-support system for the forestry sector.
Canadian forestry
Forestry is a cornerstone of Canada’s economy, contributing roughly $33.4 billion to the national GDP and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across rural and northern regions. However, the sector faces growing pressures related to climate change, supply chain disruptions, and the need for sustainable modernization. The new project will integrate operational data, machine learning, digital twins, and multi-objective optimization to enhance harvest planning, yield forecasting, and supply-chain decision-making, while balancing cost, energy use, and emissions.
The collaboration will unfold in two phases over a two-year period. It will begin with the IBM Garage methodology, designed to accelerate digital transformation and deliver measurable outcomes. In the second phase, IBM specialists will help configure technologies, support pilot deployments in communities and prepare the solutions for broader scaling.
The initiative is also supported by EY, which will offer workshops and coaching, and ServiceNow, which will provide technical expertise, in-kind grants and digital transformation support. Since its launch in 2022, the IBM Impact Accelerator has supported 25 organizations worldwide, directly benefiting an estimated 2.5 million people through projects focused on sustainable agriculture, clean energy, water management, and resilient cities.
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