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Zuckerberg’s Biohub Teams with Google, US Government in $1.8B Push for AI biological data

The collaboration aims to generate large-scale biological data for predictive AI models and advance the development of a “virtual cell.” Google DeepMind, Isomorphic Labs and Meta are collectively investing $300 million in the Virtual Biology Initiative.
Two people seated indoors, with the Biohub logo displayed between them.
October 8, 2026 03:45 PM IST | Written by Supriya Singh | Edited by Pratima O Pareek

The US government, Google DeepMind, Meta and AI drug-discovery company Isomorphic Labs are joining nonprofit Biohub to generate data for predictive AI models of biology, bringing the total investment to $1.8 billion, said Biohub in a statement.

Founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, Biohub is a nonprofit research institute that combines frontier AI and biology to accelerate scientific research.

The $1.8 billion investment combines funding, data, computation and new measurement technology. Biohub has committed $500 million, while the US Department of Energy (DOE) will invest more than $500 million over five years.

The National Institutes of Health will coordinate datasets, repositories and knowledge bases developed through more than $500 million in prior federal investment.

Google DeepMind, Isomorphic Labs and Meta are collectively investing $300 million in the Virtual Biology Initiative- development of technologies and multimodal datasets needed to build predictive models of life.

Also Read: DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs Pitch “Bioresilience” Plan to Keep AI Out of Bioweapon Hands

The DOE will support fundamental cell research through data collection, AI analytics, measurement and imaging, modeling and computation, using resources including exascale supercomputing, X-ray and neutron scattering, cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, and autonomous laboratories.

The NIH will bring together existing biomedical datasets, national data infrastructure and research programs to build resources for the scientific community. Biohub will work with NIH to standardize these datasets for AI model training.

NVIDIA will provide accelerated computing infrastructure, domain-specific software and technical expertise, while Renaissance Philanthropy will help expand funding for data generation.

Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, expressed his excitement about the partnership in a post on X.


The collaboration aims to generate large-scale biological data for predictive AI models and advance the development of a “virtual cell.” “An accurate predictive model of biology could dramatically accelerate scientific discovery by enabling scientists to perform experiments digitally,” said Alex Rives, Biohub Head of Science.

Also Read: Trump Unveils Voluntary AI Safety Accord with Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, xAI and Nvidia

Authors

  • AI FrontPage Reporter Supriya Singh

    Supriya Singh is a Reporter at AI FrontPage covering the AI & Education and AI & Jobs beats. She brings six years of print and digital experience, including three years at The Asian Age, where she reported on higher education, Delhi government, and crime. She is based in Delhi-NCR.

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  • Pratima Pareek, Editor and Co-founder of AI FrontPage

    Pratima O Pareek is an Editor and Co-Founder of AI FrontPage. A gold medalist in Mass Communication and Journalism, she's worked across national and international newsrooms, bringing sharp editorial instincts and a commitment to clarity. She believes in cutting through the noise to deliver stories that actually matter.
    Off the clock, she watches offbeat cinema, follows tennis, and explores new places like a traveler, not a tourist.

    LinkedIn

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