Persistent Systems has launched an AI-powered drug discovery solution built on NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform, designed to dramatically speed up the identification of promising drug candidates. The tool combines generative AI, molecular simulation, and high-throughput virtual screening to analyze vast chemical libraries, predict binding affinities, optimize lead compounds, and reduce both time and cost in early-stage pharmaceutical R&D.
Glimpse:
The Persistent-NVIDIA solution leverages BioNeMo generative models and GPU-accelerated simulations to process millions of compounds in hours rather than months, delivering higher hit rates for novel targets in oncology, neurology, infectious diseases, and rare conditions. Early benchmarks show 5–10x faster screening cycles and improved accuracy in identifying viable leads compared to traditional methods. The platform is now available to pharmaceutical partners, with Persistent planning broader rollout, customization services, and integration into existing discovery workflows.
Persistent Systems, a global digital engineering and technology services company, has introduced a powerful new AI-driven drug discovery solution developed in collaboration with NVIDIA. The platform, launched on February 27, 2026, harnesses NVIDIA’s accelerated computing infrastructure including DGX systems, BioNeMo generative AI models, and MONAI for molecular imaging to transform the traditionally slow and expensive early phases of pharmaceutical R&D. By enabling ultra-high-throughput virtual screening, de novo molecular design, and precise binding affinity predictions, the solution addresses one of the industry’s biggest bottlenecks: the sheer volume of chemical space that must be explored to find viable drug candidates.
The Persistent AI platform ingests massive datasets of molecular structures, protein targets, historical assay results, and real-world evidence, then applies generative AI to propose novel compounds with desired properties (efficacy, selectivity, safety profiles). NVIDIA’s BioNeMo models generate and refine molecular candidates, while GPU-accelerated physics-based simulations predict how these molecules interact with biological targets at an atomic level. The system ranks hits with high confidence, flags potential off-target effects, and suggests optimization strategies all in a fraction of the time required by conventional high-throughput screening or manual design. Early internal benchmarks indicate the platform can screen millions of compounds in hours and achieve hit rates significantly higher than traditional methods, particularly for challenging targets in oncology, neurodegeneration, and antimicrobial resistance.
The solution is designed with pharma-specific needs in mind: full traceability of AI decisions for regulatory submissions, integration with existing cheminformatics tools, support for proprietary datasets, and compliance with data privacy standards (GDPR, HIPAA). Persistent will offer the platform as a managed service, allowing pharmaceutical companies to run secure, on-premise or cloud-based discovery campaigns without building their own AI infrastructure. The company has already initiated pilot engagements with several mid-to-large pharma partners, with results expected to validate the platform’s ability to shorten discovery timelines from years to months and reduce attrition rates in preclinical stages.
Persistent leadership emphasized that the NVIDIA partnership gives them unmatched computational power to tackle complex biological problems at scale, while their domain expertise ensures the AI outputs are clinically relevant and actionable. The platform also supports emerging modalities like PROTACs, RNA therapeutics, and biologics design, positioning it for broad applicability across the industry. With this launch, Persistent aims to help drug developers bring more effective therapies to patients faster and at lower cost, contributing to global health innovation while strengthening India’s role in AI-driven life sciences.
The announcement reflects the intensifying convergence of AI and pharma, where companies are racing to adopt generative and predictive models to gain a competitive edge in an era of rising R&D costs and increasing regulatory scrutiny. Persistent plans to continue expanding the platform’s capabilities, including multimodal integration (genomics + imaging + clinical data) and co-development with NVIDIA on healthcare-specific foundation models.
“Drug discovery is too slow and too expensive AI changes that equation. With NVIDIA’s computing power and our life sciences expertise, we’re helping bring life-saving medicines to patients years faster.”
By
HB Team
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