Amgen Harnesses AI to Revolutionize Drug Development and Innovation

At Amgen, artificial intelligence stands as the cornerstone of a bold new era in biotechnology. Far from being a mere technological tool, AI has become the driving force behind a sweeping transformation across the entire organization. Under the visionary leadership of David Reese, Amgen's inaugural chief technology officer, AI is being seamlessly woven into every operational fabric of the company. This strategic integration is not just enhancing productivity; it's catalyzing unprecedented levels of innovation and dramatically accelerating the development of groundbreaking therapies. Amgen's commitment to harnessing AI's full potential is reshaping the landscape of biotechnology, promising to unlock new frontiers in medical science and patient care.

Executive Summary

Amgen's strategic AI integration is revolutionizing productivity and innovation across administrative and laboratory domains.
Advanced AI tools are powering rapid simulations and modeling, dramatically accelerating drug discovery timelines.
Partnerships with tech giants Microsoft, NVIDIA, and AWS are the cornerstone of Amgen's cutting-edge AI initiatives.

Problem

Amgen's comprehensive AI strategy involves wide-scale adoption of AI tools throughout the organization, designed to optimize tasks and boost productivity. At the heart of this approach are strategic alliances with tech leaders Microsoft, NVIDIA, and AWS, providing Amgen with access to state-of-the-art AI technologies. Amgen's focus on generative biology leverages AI to model protein-based molecules and simulate their interactions with disease targets, catalyzing the discovery of groundbreaking therapies.

Solution

Amgen led the charge in adopting Microsoft Copilot, a transformative generative AI productivity tool. Initially piloted by a select group, it now empowers 20,000 employees, streamlining repetitive tasks and unlocking time for high-impact challenges and innovation.

In the lab, AI is redefining drug discovery paradigms. Amgen harnesses NVIDIA's sophisticated AI models to tackle complex operations like generative biology, using AI to create protein-based molecule models and run predictive simulations for efficacy and safety. The installation of NVIDIA's DGX SuperPOD supercomputer, Freyja, at Amgen's subsidiary deCODE genetics, enables unprecedented analysis of human data, unveiling new frontiers in health insights.

Amgen's collaboration with AWS is expanding to create next-generation generative AI solutions, enhancing manufacturing throughput and operational efficiency. This includes the deployment of a connected digital platform utilizing Amazon SageMaker for real-time data analysis and predictive maintenance.

Impact

Amgen's AI integration has yielded remarkable results. Productivity has soared as AI tools slash time required for data aggregation and analysis, allowing scientists to channel their efforts into groundbreaking innovation. The drug discovery process has been turbocharged, with AI-driven models enabling rapid identification and development of promising drug candidates, including some previously deemed unsolvable. In manufacturing, AWS AI solutions have optimized processes, minimizing downtime and maximizing efficiency, ultimately accelerating the delivery of life-changing medicines to patients.

Change Management

While AI's potential is immense, Amgen faces notable challenges. Managing and analyzing vast data sets demands robust infrastructure and cutting-edge tools. Successful AI implementation requires seamless collaboration between computer scientists and wet lab experts to ensure practical, relevant applications. Moreover, equipping employees with the skills to leverage AI tools effectively is an ongoing priority that Amgen must address to fully capitalize on its AI initiatives.

Roadmap

Amgen's unwavering commitment to AI promises to drive unprecedented innovation in biotechnology. The future holds the development of increasingly sophisticated AI models for drug discovery and development, alongside increased laboratory automation, with AI models directly interfacing with robotic systems. Amgen is intensifying its focus on attracting and nurturing diverse talent to bridge the AI-biology divide, ensuring a rich ecosystem of ideas and approaches to fuel relentless innovation.

Publications:

From the Office to the Lab, Amgen Uses AI Tools to Unlock Innovation

Tackling the “Impossible” in Biotechnology with AI

Amgen to Build Generative AI Models for Novel Human Data Insights and Drug Discovery

AWS Joins Forces With Amgen on Generative AI Solutions to Accelerate Advanced Therapies