Partnership integrates Claude into select internal & external development tools & enterprise products, aiming to deliver new productivity gains for IBM clients
IBM and Anthropic announced a strategic partnership designed to advance enterprise-ready AI by integrating Anthropic’s Claude, one of the most powerful large language models (LLMs) globally, into IBM’s software portfolio. The collaboration aims to deliver measurable productivity gains while embedding robust security, governance, and cost controls throughout the software development lifecycle.
Under this partnership, Claude will be incorporated into select IBM software products, beginning with IBM’s new AI-first integrated development environment (IDE). The IDE features advanced task generation capabilities tailored for enterprise software development lifecycles, including software modernization. Currently available in private preview to select IBM clients, the IDE has already been used by over 6,000 early adopters within IBM, who report productivity improvements averaging 45 percent, translating to significant cost savings while preserving code quality and security standards.
As organizations transition from AI experimentation to full-scale deployment, they require solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing enterprise infrastructure while meeting stringent IT standards. IBM’s expertise in enterprise software delivery, hybrid cloud architecture, and regulated industries ensures that AI tools can operate effectively within the complex demands of global business operations.
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“IBM has been the backbone of enterprise technology for decades because we understand what it takes to deploy at scale in mission-critical environments,” said Dinesh Nirmal, SVP, Software at IBM. “This partnership enhances our software portfolio with advanced AI capabilities while maintaining the governance, security, and reliability that our clients have come to expect. We’re giving development teams AI that fits how enterprises work not experimental tools that create new risks.”
“Enterprises are looking for AI they can actually trust with their code, their data, and their day-to-day operations,” said Mike Krieger, Chief Product Officer at Anthropic. “Claude has become the go-to AI for developers at the world’s largest companies because of our focus on safety and reliability. This partnership with IBM lets us bring that same level of dedication to even more enterprise teams while building the open standards that will make AI agents genuinely useful in business environments.”
Automating the Software Development Lifecycle
The IBM IDE leverages Claude to enhance developer productivity across multiple languages and modes. Key use cases include:
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Application modernization at scale: Automating system upgrades, framework migrations, and multi-step refactoring with context-awareness across large-scale codebases.
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Intelligent code generation and review: AI-assisted development that aligns with enterprise architecture, security policies, and compliance requirements.
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End-to-end orchestration: Streamlining development, testing, deployment, and maintenance while maintaining session context.
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Security-first development: Integrating security into workflows, enabling “shift-left” vulnerability scans, accelerating FedRAMP hardening, and supporting quantum-safe cryptographic migration.
Enterprise AI Agents and the MCP Guide
As part of the collaboration, IBM created Architecting Secure Enterprise AI Agents with MCP, a first-of-its-kind guide verified by Anthropic. The guide introduces the Agent Development Lifecycle (ADLC), offering a structured methodology for designing, deploying, and managing enterprise AI agents. By standardizing agentic AI for autonomous decision-making and intelligent automation, businesses gain a purpose-built framework for operational, security, and development requirements.
Beyond enhancing IBM’s software offerings, the company will contribute its enterprise technology expertise to advance open AI deployment standards. IBM plans to provide the Model Context Protocol (MCP) community with best practice guides, reference architectures, and open-source tooling derived from its experience deploying AI across thousands of client environments.
IBM and Anthropic are exploring broader integration of Claude into additional IBM products, shaping the future of enterprise AI by empowering developers, driving digital transformation, and delivering long-term value for businesses and society.
