MIT and IBM expand research partnership to combine AI and quantum computing The new MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab evolves from the Watson AI Lab founded in 2017, adding quantum computing to its scope after nearly a decade that produced more than 1,500 peer-reviewed articles and funded over 500 students and postdoctoral scholars. IBM and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have opened the MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab, expanding a partnership that began in 2017 to include quantum computing alongside foundational AI research. The new lab replaces the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab and reflects a shift in focus toward hybrid computing systems that integrate quantum hardware with classical systems and AI methods. The lab is structured around three research pillars: AI, algorithms, and quantum computing. Each area has co-leads drawn from MIT faculty and IBM Research, with the overall lab continuing under the co-direction of Aude Oliva, senior research scientist at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and David Cox, Vice President of AI Foundations at IBM Research. From Watson AI Lab to a broader computing mandate The original Watson AI Lab funded more than 210 research projects involving over 150 MIT faculty members and more than 200 IBM researchers. It produced over 1,500 peer-reviewed articles and supported more than 500 students and postdoctoral scholars. Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research, IBM Fellow, and IBM chair of the new lab, says: "We expect the MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab to emerge as one of the world's premier academic and industrial hubs accelerating the future of computing. Together, the brightest minds at MIT and IBM will rethink how models, algorithms, and systems are designed for an era that will be defined by the sum of what's possible when AI and quantum computing come together." Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT's Provost and MIT chair of the