IBM, Red Hat Pledge $5 Billion for AI-Driven Open Source Security Initiative

By Connor Hart

International Business Machines and Red Hat have committed $5 billion to establish a new model for open-source software, aiming to secure software supply chains for enterprises.

Under the new project, dubbed Project Lightwell, the companies said Thursday they will deploy a global force of 20,000 engineers, supported by advanced artificial intelligence, to establish a trusted enterprise clearinghouse.

The clearinghouse will serve as a security coordination layer, using advanced AI capabilities to identify, test and fix security vulnerabilities across massive volumes of open-source code.

The capabilities will be available through commercial subscriptions, allowing enterprises to report bugs within open-source frameworks and receive validated, production-ready patches that can be directly integrated into their software supply chains.

IBM said that more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies currently rely heavily on open-source software, with new AI models making it easier for bad actors to find and exploit software vulnerabilities.

IBM and Red Hat added they have already begun collaborating with a select group of early adopters on Project Lightwell, including Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Visa and Wells Fargo.

"Open source is the backbone of today's digital economy and the foundation of modern AI, and we are at an inflection point in how it is built, secured and scaled," IBM Chief Executive Arvind Krishna said.

"With Project Lightwell, IBM and Red Hat are helping define a new industry model, one that brings together AI, engineering expertise and trusted collaboration, to secure open source software at its source and across the entire supply chain," he added.

Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 28, 2026 06:53 ET (10:53 GMT)