US-based technology companies NVIDIA and Alphabet spin-off SandboxAQ have joined forces to simulate chemical reactions to develop new materials and chemical compounds.

Under the alliance, SandboxAQ will use NVIDIA’s quantum platforms to simulate the quantum mechanics that underlie contemporary material science, chemistry, and biology.

In an interview with Bloomberg, SandboxAQ CEO Jack Hidary said SandboxAQ’s simulation technology is based on quantum algorithms.

Quantum algorithms have existed for decades, but they have been found to be too large and intricate for computers to handle.

According to Hidary, NVIDIA’s advanced graphics processors such as A100 and H200 can now be deployed for real-world applications.

The alliance is expected to impact a wide range of industries, including healthcare, energy, construction, financial services, and others.

SandboxAQ chairman Eric Schmidt said: “SandboxAQ’s AI [artificial intelligence] simulation capabilities, augmented with NVIDIA accelerated computing and quantum platforms, will help enable the creation of new materials and chemical compounds that will transform industries and address some of the world’s biggest challenges.”

NVIDIA director of high-performance computing and quantum Tim Costa said: “Advances in quantum chemistry and molecular modelling require powerful accelerated computing platforms to predict complex chemical interactions that can present countless benefits to society. NVIDIA’s collaboration with SandboxAQ will help equip scientists to make the next generation of breakthroughs in material science.”

Separately, L&T Technology Services (LTTS) announced a partnership with NVIDIA for medical devices.

LTTS said the alliance, which is focused on endoscopy, aims to enhance medical imaging using generative AI and software-defined architectures.

L&T Technology Services CEO and managing director Amit Chadha said: “The combination of the NVIDIA Holoscan software platform for edge AI inference and the NVIDIA IGX Orin hardware platform accelerates the development of AI-powered medical imaging solutions by enhancing image quality and real-time clinical decision-making support, making clinicians more efficient and improving patient outcomes.”