Kevin Weil, who left his role as head of OpenAI’s science unit in April, has launched Warp Sciences. The company raised $215 million in a funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Including that money, the business is valued at $865 million. It aims to use AI to speed up a stage of drug development rather than discover new medicines itself.
After researchers identify a promising molecule, a tiny unit of a substance, they often make hundreds or thousands of versions. The aim is to improve how well it works and reduce side effects. Drugmakers have often hired Chinese companies, particularly WuXi AppTec, for this work because they are cheaper and faster. However, tensions between the US and China have made this relationship riskier. Weil also said some companies worry about sharing sensitive information with Chinese contractors.
Warp plans to carry out this work in a fully automated US laboratory. Its team of about 20 has already bought robotic arms and AI chips. Chemists will wear cameras and gloves that measure pressure while carrying out experiments. The resulting data will help train the company’s own AI models. Weil argues that AI needs experimental data to make greater progress in this field.
