The News: Recently IBM and Stony Brook University have been selected by the City of New York to jointly anchor the New York Climate Exchange. IBM will contribute technology, skills training, and research capabilities needed to help find climate solutions over five years and the Stony Brook campus will serve as the anchor for the Climate Exchange campus in NYC. Read more from IBM.
IBM and Stony Brook University Selected to Anchor the New York Climate Exchange by the City of New York
Analyst Take: News of the selection of IBM and Stony Brook by the City of New York to anchor the Governors Island Center for Climate Solutions is exciting. Stony Brook University will build the New York Climate Exchange, and IBM will contribute technology, skills training, and research capabilities needed to help find climate solutions over a five-year period.
The campus at the New York Climate Exchange will include a 335,000-square-foot interactive “living laboratory” with green-designed building space, including research labs, classroom space, exhibits, greenhouses, mitigation technologies, and housing facilities on Governors Island. IBM says that participating in the New York Climate Exchange reflects the company’s connection to New York and the company’s commitment to sustainability initiatives. Stony Brook University lauds its commitment to generating significant, transformative economic, environmental, social, and technical solutions designed to leave no community behind, as well as its commitment to sustainability, education, and climate justice as its mission in this undertaking.
Once fully operational, the Stony Brook University-built New York Climate Exchange is expected to serve 600 postsecondary students, 4,500 K‑12 students, 6,000 workforce trainees, and over 250 faculty and researchers annually while supporting up to 30 businesses through its incubator program. It’s anticipated that construction on the New York Climate Exchange will begin construction in 2025 with the first phase opening in 2028.
Through the New York Climate Exchange IBM and Stony Brook will jointly contribute in myriad ways, including:
- Research: IBM will engage in the New York Climate Exchange research efforts to find climate solutions and Stony Brook will leverage its deep research expertise in what will be a global hub for climate science research and innovation.
- Social impact programs: IBM’s Sustainability Accelerator will be part of the New York Climate Exchange research program and a Research and Technology Accelerator will also be part of the project, helping to source new projects, ventures, ideas, and beyond focused on solving climate challenges.
- Skills training: Through IBM’s programs such as IBM SkillsBuild, IBM will provide sustainability and technology skills for staff and students. Stony Brook will develop academic programs designed to help students prepare for the future and spur interest in climate-related careers.
- Citizens Advisory Council: The New York Climate Exchange will establish an advisory council comprised of local voices and community leaders to ensure the needs and concerns of all are met.
IBM’s involvement in the New York Climate Exchange adds to its existing commitment to provide IBM technology, including AI and hybrid cloud, to researchers, governments, institutions, and other partners, to help accelerate climate research and create solutions to climate change. Stony Brook University was one of four universities competing to be the anchor institution for the Governors Island project and triumphed over MIT, Northeastern University, and a group led by CUNY and The New School.
Wrapping up, this is great news not only for New Yorkers but a big step forward for the global community being impacted by climate change. Fighting climate change requires public and private partnerships dedicated to researching and creating innovative climate solutions. It’s impressive to see both IBM and Stony Brook University’s involvement here, bringing their significant resources and their joint commitments to research, education, and passion for mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years' experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging development, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly's coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
