Google DeepMind, Wellcome Sanger Launch AI-Focused Genomic Data Consortium

Google’s DeepMind and its philanthropic arm have committed $25 million to build large-scale, biological datasets catered to AI models.

The Wellcome Sanger Institute and Google DeepMind announced a new consortium for the use of artificial intelligence in genomics.

Announced June 8 at Wellcome Sanger’s AI x BIO conference, the consortium aims to generate high-quality, AI-ready genomic datasets designed to train advanced machine learning models. The datasets will provide a foundation for training and evaluating AI models capable of making more accurate predictions about biological processes, the partners said.

Google DeepMind and Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, have committed $5 million per year over five years.

The initiative builds on an existing relationship between the two organizations, which includes previous research collaborations and a jointly-sponsored AI in genomics fellowship.

“Together with the Sanger Institute, we aim to build the data backbone needed to decode the complexities of biological processes,” Pushmeet Kohli, VP of AI for Science at Google DeepMind, said in a statement. “Ultimately, this could accelerate scientific discovery and unlock entirely new frontiers for researchers worldwide.”

Julia Wilson, chief innovation and impact officer at Wellcome Sanger, added that they plan to share their data resources with the wider scientific community.

Wellcome Sanger and Google DeepMind plan to bring in additional collaborators, they said.

Continuation of the partnership beyond initial milestones is subject to terms set out in the agreement.