IBM Research – Brazil

IBM Research

Company type	Research division
Industry	Information technology, Research and development
Founded	1945
Headquarters	Yorktown Heights, New York , United States
Area served	Worldwide (more than 170 countries)
Products	Research and development in computing technologies, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nanotechnology, software frameworks, data management systems
Owner	IBM

IBM Research serves as the research and development arm of IBM, a leading American multinational in the information technology sector. Its central hub is located at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, situated close to IBM's primary headquarters in Armonk, New York. Recognized as the largest industrial research entity worldwide, IBM Research operates across more than 170 countries, maintaining twelve laboratories spread over six continents.

Throughout its history, IBM personnel have been honored with six Nobel Prizes, six Turing Awards, 20 entries into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame, 19 National Medals of Technology, five National Medals of Science, and three Kavli Prizes. By 2018, IBM had led all companies globally in patent grants for 25 straight years.

History

The inception of IBM Research dates back to 1945 with the creation of the Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory at Columbia University, marking IBM’s initial venture into fundamental scientific research. During the 1950s, this effort expanded with several research centers established in Westchester County, New York, culminating in the launch of the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in 1961.

Among IBM’s significant innovations are the floppy disk, hard disk drive, magnetic stripe card, the concept of the relational database, the Universal Product Code (UPC), financial swap instruments, the development of the Fortran programming language, the SABRE airline reservation system, DRAM, semiconductor copper wiring, early smartphones, portable computing devices, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), silicon-on-insulator (SOI) fabrication techniques, IBM’s Watson artificial intelligence platform, and the Quantum Experience quantum computing service.

In nanotechnology, IBM achieved a landmark by precisely positioning xenon atoms to form the letters "IBM" using a scanning tunneling microscope, showcasing atom-level engineering capabilities.

IBM Research has been instrumental in advancing novel materials science, cutting-edge microprocessors and computing architectures, analytical methodologies, algorithm design, software frameworks, data management systems, and service-oriented methodologies for reuse.

Prominent accomplishments include inventing the Scanning Tunneling Microscope and pioneering discoveries in high-temperature superconductivity—both honored with Nobel Prizes—as well as creating the SABRE airline booking system, LASIK eye surgery technology, magnetic data storage innovations, the DES encryption standard, fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms, fractal geometry introduced by Benoît Mandelbrot, RISC processor architecture, and the Deep Blue chess computer. The Watson AI system gained fame by winning on Jeopardy! and has since been commercialized through healthcare collaborations such as with Anthem Inc.

Notable IBM researchers

The legacy of IBM Research has been shaped by many influential figures in computer science and related fields. These include Frances E. Allen, Marc Auslander, John Backus, Charles H. Bennett, Erich Bloch, Grady Booch, Fred Brooks (author of The Mythical Man-Month), Peter Brown, Larry Carter, Gregory Chaitin, John Cocke, Alan Cobham, Edgar F. Codd, Don Coppersmith, Wallace Eckert, Ronald Fagin, Horst Feistel, Jeanne Ferrante, Zvi Galil, Ralph E. Gomory, Jim Gray, Joseph Halpern, Kenneth E. Iverson, Frederick Jelinek, Reynold B. Johnson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Robert Mercer, C. Mohan, Kirsten Moselund, Michael O. Rabin, Arthur Samuel, Barbara Simons, Alfred Spector, Gardiner Tucker, Moshe Vardi, John Vlissides, Mark N. Wegman and Shmuel Winograd.

Laboratories

IBM maintains 19 research sites distributed among 12 laboratories spanning six continents:

• Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya)
• Almaden (San Jose, California, USA)
• Australia (Melbourne)
• Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo)
• Cambridge – IBM Research and MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)
• China (Beijing)
• Israel (Haifa)
• Ireland (Dublin)
• India (Bengaluru, Delhi)
• Japan (Shin-Kawasaki, Tokyo)
• Switzerland (Zürich)
• IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center (Albany, New York; Yorktown Heights, USA)

Formerly significant IBM research locations include IBM La Gaude near Nice, the Cambridge Scientific Center, IBM New York Scientific Center, 330 North Wabash in Chicago, IBM Austin Research Laboratory, and the Vienna laboratory.

In 2017, IBM committed $240 million to launch the MIT–IBM Watson AI Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This collaborative initiative propels artificial intelligence research with practical applications for business and society. Each year, the lab supports around 50 projects co-managed by researchers from both MIT and IBM, concentrating on domains such as computer vision, natural language processing, reinforcement learning, and ensuring AI fairness, dependability, and security.

Almaden in Silicon Valley

IBM Research – Almaden is situated in the Almaden Valley neighborhood of San Jose, California. Its researchers engage in fundamental and applied studies covering computer science, storage technologies, physical sciences, and materials engineering.

Occupying close to 700 acres within the Santa Teresa Hills overlooking Silicon Valley, the site was established in 1985 to benefit from proximity to Stanford University and nearby University of California campuses. It continues to serve as a prominent IBM research center alongside other divisions housed there.

Initially founded as the San Jose Research Laboratory in 1952 under Reynold B. Johnson’s leadership, this facility pioneered the IBM 350—the first commercially available moving head hard disk drive—introduced in 1956 as part of the IBM 305 RAMAC system. The laboratory relocated to Almaden in 1986 to support expansion.

Among Almaden’s notable scientific achievements are innovations in photoresist materials and the identification of the quantum mirage phenomenon.

Distinguished researchers affiliated with Almaden include Rakesh Agrawal, Miklos Ajtai, Rama Akkiraju, John Backus, Raymond F. Boyce, Donald D. Chamberlin, Ashok K. Chandra, Edgar F. Codd, Mark Dean, Cynthia Dwork, Don Eigler, Ronald Fagin, Jim Gray, Laura M. Haas, Jean Paul Jacob, Joseph Halpern, Andreas J. Heinrich, Reynold B. Johnson, Maria Klawe, Jaishankar Menon, Dharmendra Modha, William E. Moerner, C. Mohan, Stuart Parkin, Nick Pippenger, Dan Russell, Patricia Selinger, Ted Selker, Barbara Simons, Malcolm Slaney, Arnold Spielberg, Ramakrishnan Srikant, Larry Stockmeyer, Moshe Vardi, Jennifer Widom, and Shumin Zhai.

Australia

IBM Research – Australia was inaugurated in 2009 in Melbourne as a combined research and development center. Its focus areas included social media analytics, interactive content creation tools, healthcare data analysis, multimedia analytics techniques, and genomics research. Leadership roles were held by Vice President Joanna Batstone and Professor Iven Mareels among others. This laboratory represented IBM’s first integrated approach combining both research and development functions within a single entity.

The Melbourne facility commenced operations in 2011 with an initial investment of $22 million contributed by the Australian Federal Government alongside additional backing from Victoria’s State Government. The lab ceased operations in 2021 after tax incentive programs from the Victorian government concluded; this closure resulted in approximately 80 employees being laid off.

Brazil

Founded in 2011, IBM Research – Brazil operates from locations in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and stands as one of IBM’s twelve global research centers, marking the company’s initial presence in South America. The laboratory concentrates on areas such as Industrial Technology and Science, Systems of Engagement and Insight, Social Data Analytics, and solutions for Natural Resources.

As IBM’s ninth research facility at the time and its first new lab after a 12-year interval, it underscores the strategic significance of emerging economies and worldwide innovation efforts. Collaborating closely with the Brazilian government, the lab advances technologies aimed at managing natural resources and supporting major events like the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Ulisses Mello, Associate Lab Director, outlined four key focus sectors: managing natural resources including oil, gas, mining, and agriculture; social data analytics with applications like financial market evaluation; nanotechnology for enhanced devices utilized in fields such as blood diagnostics and oil extraction; and initiatives geared toward developing smarter urban environments.

Japan

IBM Research – Tokyo, previously known as IBM Tokyo Research Laboratory (TRL) until 2009, is among IBM's twelve principal global research hubs, employing approximately 200 scientists. Established in 1982 under the name Japan Science Institute (JSI) in Tokyo, it was IBM’s pioneering research center in Asia. Hisashi Kobayashi served as its inaugural director from 1982 to 1986. The facility was renamed IBM Tokyo Research Laboratory in 1986, moved to Yamato in 1992, and then returned to Tokyo in 2012.

One notable achievement of TRL includes the development of the English-to-Japanese machine translation system called "System for Human-Assisted Language Translation" (SHALT) in 1988, which facilitated translation of IBM manuals.

History

In 1993, TRL relocated from central Tokyo to Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, co-locating with the IBM Yamato Facility. That same year, it set a world record for continuous generation of coherent ultraviolet rays. The lab also created the Java Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler in 1996, which was deployed across major IBM platforms among other technological advancements.

Chieko Asakawa, an IBM Fellow since 2009, spearheaded key developments in accessibility technology at IBM including the IBM Home Page Reader launched in 1997 and the aiBrowser introduced in 2007. In 2012, TRL moved back to Tokyo within the IBM Toyosu Facility.

Research

Researchers at TRL have been instrumental in numerous scientific and engineering innovations that significantly contribute to IBM’s product lines, services, and patent holdings. Their expertise covers microdevice fabrication, system software development, security and privacy technologies, analytics and optimization methods, human-computer interaction design, embedded systems engineering, and service science disciplines. The team consistently shares their findings through presentations at international forums and publications in respected journals.

Other activities

TRL maintains partnerships with Japanese academic institutions by supporting their research endeavors through IBM’s Shared University Research (SUR) program, which includes donations of hardware such as servers and storage solutions. Since 1987, the IBM Japan Science Prize has recognized exceptional researchers under the age of 45 affiliated with Japanese universities or public research organizations specializing in physics, chemistry, computer science, and electronics.

Israel

Founded in 1972 as the Haifa Research Lab (HRL), IBM Research – Haifa has grown into a pivotal innovation hub for IBM. With facilities in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Beer Sheva, the center specializes in areas such as artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud solutions, quantum computing, blockchain technology, the Internet of Things, cybersecurity, and healthcare advancements. Aya Soffer holds the position of IBM’s vice president for AI technology and leads the Haifa laboratory.

History

Marking its 30th anniversary, the IBM Haifa Research Lab relocated to the University of Haifa campus. The lab actively collaborates with universities across Israel, the United States, and Europe and participates in numerous European Union Horizon 2020 projects. By 2020, it employed more professionals with advanced degrees in science, engineering, and mathematics than any other entity within Israel’s high-tech sector. Its researchers frequently present at global conferences and publish in international journals.

In 2014, IBM Research inaugurated the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CCoE) in Beer Sheva through a partnership with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Switzerland

IBM Research – Zurich, established in 1956 and situated in Rüschlikon near Zürich, functions as IBM’s primary European research facility. Originally located in Adliswil, the lab moved to its dedicated campus in Rüschlikon in 1962. It hosts a diverse workforce comprising several hundred researchers, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows representing approximately 45 nationalities. The site also includes a Client Center that demonstrates prototype technologies and solutions.

The Zurich laboratory is distinguished by significant scientific accomplishments, including Nobel Prizes in Physics awarded in 1986 and 1987 for developing the scanning tunneling microscope and discovering high-temperature superconductivity. Among its key innovations are trellis modulation for data transmission, Token Ring networking technology, the Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) protocol for secure payments, and the Java Card OpenPlatform (JCOP) smart card operating system. More recently, it contributed to SuperMUC, a supercomputer employing hot water cooling.

Research at this site focuses on emerging chip technologies, nanotechnology, data storage solutions, quantum computing, brain-inspired computing architectures, security and privacy measures, risk management and compliance strategies, business optimization techniques, and server system development. The lab collaborates with European universities and participates in research initiatives funded by both the EU and Swiss government alongside industry partners. A prominent project is DOME, which aims to establish an IT roadmap for the Square Kilometer Array.

IBM Zurich’s research activities are organized into four main divisions: Science & Technology; Cloud and AI Systems Research; Cognitive Computing & Industry Solutions; and Security Research. The current director of the lab is Alessandro Curioni.

On 17 May 2011, IBM partnered with ETH Zurich to open the Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center on the Rüschlikon campus.

IBM Scientific Centers

From 1964 through the early 1990s, alongside IBM’s central Research Division headquartered in Armonk, a network of IBM Scientific Centers operated as decentralized research entities. Unlike the centrally managed Research Division, each Scientific Center was embedded within its regional IBM organization which provided funding and influenced strategic priorities. These centers aimed to foster research collaborations that enhanced IBM’s reputation at local and regional levels.

While IBM’s Research Division maintained strict restrictions on external partnerships due to intellectual property concerns, these Scientific Centers actively engaged with universities and public research institutions on technical and application-driven projects. Their activities ranged from fundamental research to product development and applied endeavors such as satellite-based soil analysis.

Comprehensive documentation exists detailing their thematic focus areas, projects undertaken, and scientific publications as of 1989. The IBM Heidelberg Scientific Center is particularly noted for its thorough history from establishment through closure.

Starting with four centers located in the United States (*) in 1964, this network expanded globally to encompass 26 centers by 1989 before ceasing operations during the early 1990s:

• Bari, Italy (1969–1979)
• Bergen, Norway (since 1986)
• Brasilia, Brazil (1980–1986)
• Cairo, Egypt (since 1983)
• Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (since 1964) *
• Caracas, Venezuela (since 1983)
• Grenoble, France (1967–1973)
• Haifa, Israel (since 1972)
• Heidelberg, Germany (since 1968)
• Houston, Texas (1966–1974)
• Kuwait City, Kuwait (since 1980)
• Los Angeles, California, USA (since 1964) *
• Madrid, Spain (since 1972)
• Mexico City, Mexico (since 1971)
• New York City (1964–1972) *
• Palo Alto, California, USA (since 1964) *
• Paris, France (since 1977)
• Peterlee, United Kingdom (1969–1979)
• Pisa, Italy (since 1971)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (1972–1974)
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (since 1986)
• Rome, Italy (since 1979)
• Tokyo, Japan (since 1970)
• Venice, Italy (1969–1979)
• Wheaton, Maryland, USA (1967–1969)
• Winchester, United Kingdom (since 1979)

Publications

• IBM Journal of Research and Development

External links

• official site of IBM Research
• Archived project listings (archived on 10 December 2005)
• Highlights of Research History (Top Innovations)
• Annual Research Timeline
• Oral history interview with Martin Schwarzschild, former head of the Watson Scientific Computation Laboratory at Columbia University, Charles Babbage Institute (archived on 12 August 2002)
• Technical journals from IBM Research