Pioneering IBM, Illinois partnership extended through 2031

The IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute has received a 5-year renewal to support its unique academic-industry program.

The IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute (IIDAI) has announced a 5-year, $35 million renewal of its pioneering academic-industry program and the introduction of three new research thrusts. A partnership between IBM and the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering, the institute aims to accelerate the discovery of solutions to complex global challenges.

The renewed funding marks a transition to the institute’s next phase, including three new collaborative thrusts: Platform for AI, Quantum-Centric Supercomputing, and New Algorithms Discovery. These new directions will focus on infrastructure and software stack; integrating quantum and high-performance computing; exploring the values of many workload parameters; and introducing new algorithms that can be applied to high-performance computing, quantum computing or the integration of the two.

“Our goal with the renewal is to build on our past successes and continue advancing the institute’s impact,” said Deming Chen, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who co-directs the institute along with IBM senior research manager Fabio Oliveira. “We aim to reach new heights.”

Photo Credit: The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Founded in 2021 with a total investment of $200 million, IIDAI launched as a new model of academic-industry partnership designed to increase access to technology education and skill development to spur breakthroughs in emerging areas of technology like hybrid cloud and AI, quantum computing, materials discovery and sustainability.

In the five years since its inception, IIDAI has produced over 230 publications and patents and facilitated summer externships for 45 students and counting. Its preliminary success is steeped in robust participation from over 90 Illinois faculty members, nearly 100 IBM researchers and more than 150 Illinois graduate students.

“The students have been so appreciative of both Illinois and IBM for this opportunity. They get the benefits of working on-site at IBM — gaining access to advanced computing resources and mentorship by IBM colleagues — while continuing to make progress on their thesis,” Chen said. “That continuation is so valuable. It’s truly a unique program.”

The success of this seminal partnership coincides with another exciting development—the quantum initiative taking hold at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), a Chicago-based collaboration operated by the University of Illinois. Chen believes this growing network of quantum research and outreach will allow IIDAI to expand into the Chicago region.    

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” he said. “This partnership will benefit not only our students, but also the greater community and society as a whole.”

Illinois Grainger Engineering Dean Rashid Bashir believes Illinois is a natural co-host for such a powerful partnership.

“The Grainger College of Engineering is thrilled to host this flagship partnership with IBM to define the future of how AI, Quantum and Supercomputing will come together for the greatest impact,” Bashir said. “In addition to the resources provided by IBM for collaborative research, the IIDAI researchers can leverage more than $4 million in commitments for high computing resources from the University of Illinois. The Institute’s presence in Chicago at the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) will allow for greater integration with IBM Quantum Algorithms staff and the Chicago quantum ecosystem.”

The institute is administered in Illinois Grainger Engineering’s Coordinated Science Laboratory. Its renewal will be celebrated with government officials on April 16 at the 2026 Spring Workshop in Chicago.

Illinois Grainger Engineering Affiliations

Rashid Bashir, Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering and professor of bioengineering, is also the Dean of the Illinois Grainger College of Engineering. He is a fellow of the IEEE, the Biomedical Engineering Society, a member of the National Academy of Medicine and Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the 2018 Pritzker Distinguished Lecture Award from BMES and was a key member of the founding team at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the world's first engineering-based medical school. He also serves as the Vice Chancellor for Chicago Strategic Partnerships.

Deming Chen is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is the Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering and the Illinois Director of the IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute. Chen is affiliated with the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, the Coordinated Science Lab and the Information Trust Institute. He is also the Director of the AMD Center of Excellence and the AMD HACC Initiative at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Chen is a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery and IEEE.