SAN JOSE — An IBM research hub in San Jose that produced numerous cutting-edge scientific and technical breakthroughs is slated to close and shift its workers to another lab a few miles away, the company confirmed.
IBM said it will close its Almaden Research Center at 650 Harry Rd. and move its researchers and workers to IBM’s Silicon Valley Lab at 555 Bailey Rd., on the edges of Coyote Valley.
The company described the shutdown and consolidation as a way for its researchers to operate in a more efficient and collaborative fashion.
“We look forward to bringing all of our IBMers under one roof at our Silicon Valley Lab, working together side-by-side, to drive more collaboration and to continue to deliver new innovations, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing, for our company and clients,” an IBM spokesperson said in comments emailed to this news organization.
The Almaden lab is part of a 700-acre site that IBM owns, according to real estate documents. The merging of the lab sites could be completed sometime in 2026 or by the end of this year.
“This is primarily a site consolidation, which will take place over the next six to nine months,” the IBM spokesperson said. “We do not expect significant workforce impacts.”
IBM Silicon Valley Lab occupies a parcel that totals 200 acres, a Santa Clara County property database shows.
Numerous residential subdivisions are located next to or near the western and southern boundaries of the IBM Almaden lab site. The northern and eastern sections of the property border primarily open space, a review of a county mapping database shows.
“We are currently exploring options for the Almaden space,” the IBM spokesperson said.
The pending consolidation marks the end of decades of cutting-edge achievements at Almaden Research Center, which is nestled in the Santa Teresa hills.
“IBM has been spearheading the development of breakthrough technologies in Silicon Valley for over 60 years,” the company spokesperson said.
The Almaden lab was an innovation hub whose breakthroughs involved countless endeavors.
Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, machine learning, cloud technologies and data storage are among the major scientific advances that the complex produced.
Over the nearly 40 years since the IBM Almaden lab opened in 1986, the site’s researchers have invented the first ink-jet printer prototype, the world’s smallest disk drive, the first disk drive, and encryption for DVD and Blu-ray devices.
In 2014, William Moerner, a researcher at the Almaden site, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Moerner’s work paved the way for the creation of optical storage technologies that many experts see as the foundation for the modern tech industry.
Research at the Almaden lab also led to the creation of a computer chip called TrueNorth that mimics how the human brain works. The chip was so cutting edge that it was accepted into the Computer History Museum.
IBM’s tradition of tech innovation in San Jose stretches back to a time when Silicon Valley wasn’t even known by that name.
In 1952, IBM established its first West Coast lab at a south San Jose site on Cottle Road. That lab’s achievements included the creation of the first magnetic disk drive device.
Those IBM sites at and near Cottle Road are now dotted with new suburban homes and apartments as well as a Costco retail warehouse.
Originally Published: July 10, 2025 at 10:30 AM PDT