Eli Lilly and tech giant NVIDIA have partnered on an ambitious plan to build what they claim will be the most powerful AI-powered supercomputer in the pharmaceutical industry. This system is designed to transform drug discovery by accelerating research and enabling science at an unprecedented scale.
The Vision: An ‘AI Factory’ for Faster Medicine
Lilly’s goal is to power an “AI factory” that will manage the entire AI lifecycle—from data acquisition and training to fine-tuning and high-volume deployment. The company’s Chief Information and Digital Officer, Diogo Rau, noted that Lilly’s decades of historical data are one of its “most powerful assets.” By leveraging this data with purpose-built AI models, the company aims to “set a new scientific standard” that speeds up the delivery of new medicines.
Artificial intelligence is widely promoted as a tool to significantly shorten the time required for candidate selection, reduce development costs, and improve success rates. This is achieved through the AI’s ability to efficiently process massive datasets, uncover complex biological patterns, and generate predictions for new targets and drug designs.
The concept of AI-driven facilities is quickly gaining traction, with major players like Novo Nordisk and Roche/Genentech already collaborating with NVIDIA on supercomputer-based systems. These “lab-in-a-loop” platforms can train algorithms to design molecules, test them using automated lab studies, and feed the results back to continuously refine the AI. A recent startup, Flagship Pioneering’s Lila Sciences, also closed a $350 million financing round based on its plan to develop a similar AI-powered lab platform using robotics and automation.
Expanding AI Beyond Discovery
Lilly sees the supercomputer’s utility extending well beyond initial drug discovery. The company plans to use the machine to power “digital twin” and automation systems that will improve production efficiency, reduce manufacturing downtime, and discover new biomarkers to advance personalized patient care.
According to Lilly’s Chief AI Officer, Thomas Fuchs, the company is moving from using AI merely as a tool to embracing it as a “scientific collaborator.” By embedding intelligence throughout their workflows, they are “opening the door to a new kind of enterprise: one that learns, adapts, and improves with every data point.”
Commitment to Sustainability and Open Collaboration
While large AI infrastructure often raises concerns about high energy and water usage, Lilly stated that it plans to build and operate the supercomputer in line with its 2030 sustainability goals. These goals specifically include achieving carbon neutrality, using 100% renewable electricity, and leveraging Lilly’s existing chilled water infrastructure for liquid cooling.
In a move aimed at fostering wider innovation, the new AI drug discovery models generated by the supercomputer will be made available for free to biotech companies via the Lilly TuneLab platform. However, partner companies will be expected to provide “training data” in return, helping to further refine and improve the models.
Source: Pharm Exec | October 29, 2025
