Novo Nordisk & NVIDIA join forces to drive AI drug discovery

DENMARK – Novo Nordisk is deepening its commitment to AI-driven drug discovery by partnering with NVIDIA, a global leader in accelerated computing.

The collaboration taps into Denmark’s flagship AI supercomputer, Gefion, aiming to streamline pharmaceutical research and enhance healthcare innovation.

By integrating NVIDIA’s high-performance computing tools with Novo Nordisk’s expertise in life sciences, the partnership will develop AI models and agents that can optimize early-stage drug research and clinical development.

AI-powered research acceleration

Gefion, powered by NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, will provide Novo Nordisk with advanced computing capabilities to process vast datasets and refine its biomedical AI models.

“AI is transforming every industry, but drug discovery stands to gain the most,” said Rory Kelleher, senior director at NVIDIA. “This collaboration will accelerate pharmaceutical breakthroughs by leveraging generative and agentic AI.”

Novo Nordisk will apply NVIDIA BioNeMo for AI-powered drug discovery, alongside NIM and NeMo microservices to create intelligent AI-driven workflows.

Researchers will also use Omniverse simulation tools to enhance drug modeling and testing environments.

Unlocking medical innovation

The partnership will allow scientists to predict cellular responses, design drug-like molecules, and analyze correlations between genes, proteins, and diseases using AI.

“Gefion gives us the ability to run experiments at a scale never seen before,” said Mishal Patel, SVP of AI and Digital Innovation at Novo Nordisk.

DCAI, the operator of Gefion, is reducing barriers to advanced computing, enabling healthcare companies to fast-track drug research and development.

“With Gefion’s computational power, we can unlock new possibilities for pharmaceutical innovation,” said Nadia Carlsten, CEO of DCAI.

Real-world AI applications

Gefion is already transforming healthcare and drug discovery. Danish AI startup Teton is utilizing the supercomputer to develop real-time 3D patient monitoring systems, aimed at reducing hospital workload and improving care quality.

In addition, several pharmaceutical firms are leveraging Gefion to advance neurological treatments, develop oral alternatives to biologics, and enhance precision medicine.

Danish health organizations will also utilize Gefion to establish a unified national health data platform, allowing researchers to analyze interconnected health information securely and inform personalized treatment strategies.