Novo Nordisk Foundation Investing in New Supercomputer Powered by Nvidia’s ai Technology for Groundbreaking Scientific Discoveries
The Novo Nordisk Foundation, the philanthropic organization with significant stakes in the Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, has awarded France’s Eviden a contract to construct one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. This computing powerhouse, named Gefion, will employ Nvidia’s latest artificial intelligence (ai) technology to process massive amounts of data and accelerate scientific breakthroughs in various domains, including drug discovery, disease diagnosis, and treatment.
Unleashing the Power of ai for Scientific Discoveries
Eviden’s head of quantum computing, Cédric Bourrasset, made an official statement about the collaboration: “The new supercomputer, Gefion, will offer unprecedented potential to accelerate groundbreaking scientific discoveries. With its unparalleled capabilities in processing data through ai, we are confident that it will significantly impact research and development in numerous sectors.”
Gefion is expected to be operational for pilot projects before the year’s end. It will reside at Denmark’s national center for ai innovation, making it accessible to researchers from both the public and private sectors within Denmark.
Partners in Innovation: Nvidia and Novo Nordisk Foundation
Nvidia, an American technology corporation now worth over $2.21 trillion on the US stock market and a global leader in ai, will provide the latest chip technology for the supercomputer. On the other hand, Novo Nordisk Foundation holds a controlling stake in Novo Nordisk (NVO), a booming Danish company with a market value exceeding that of Tesla. The pharmaceutical giant’s success is largely due to the popularity of its diabetes drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, which have gained widespread use for weight loss.
The Power of ai in Scientific Research: A Game Changer
Earlier this year, Microsoft (MSFT) demonstrated the potential of ai to revolutionize scientific research by discovering a new battery material in a short time frame. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), part of the US Department of Energy, utilized Microsoft’s system that integrates ai models and high-performance computing to analyze 32 million potential inorganic materials. In under four days, they narrowed down the candidates to 18 promising options, a remarkable achievement compared to traditional methods which would have taken years.
The PNNL shared their experience on their Website: “From receiving the simulated candidates through producing a functioning battery, the entire process took less than nine months. This is a significant improvement over traditional methods.”
With the power of ai at their disposal, researchers are now able to unravel scientific mysteries and make groundbreaking discoveries more efficiently than ever before. The collaboration between Nvidia, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Denmark’s national center for ai innovation marks a significant step forward in harnessing the potential of ai to transform various industries.
