Nanyang Biologics has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Equinix and HPE to develop an AI-powered drug discovery platform and build what it says will be the world’s largest natural drug compound library in Singapore.

Nanyang Biologics, a Singapore-based biotech company spun out from Nanyang Technological University, will use its proprietary AI platform, Vecura, to support research on compounds from natural sources.

The parties formalized their collaboration with an MOU at the AI4Life Summit held in Singapore.

Under the MOU, Nanyang Biologics will lead the platform’s development, HPE will provide AI computing infrastructure, and Equinix will handle digital infrastructure and data security.

The company said its compound library currently includes over 50,000 unique organisms and chemical compounds.

🔗 Source: Nanyang Biologics

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Biotech startups increasingly rely on tech giants for specialized infrastructure

Nanyang Biologics’ partnership with Equinix and HPE represents a growing trend where biotech companies outsource critical infrastructure rather than building it internally.

The collaboration provides NYB with GPU-powered infrastructure for high-volume molecular screening and global connectivity through Equinix’s data centers, allowing the company to focus resources on platform development instead of hardware investments2.

This approach reflects how many modern startups leverage cloud services and specialized partnerships to scale quickly without massive capital expenditure on infrastructure.

For a seven-year-old spinout from Nanyang Technological University, partnering with established tech giants provides immediate access to enterprise-grade systems that would take years and significant funding to develop independently.

The “as-a-Service” model for their Vecura platform further illustrates this shift, allowing pharmaceutical companies to access advanced AI capabilities without investing in their own infrastructure1.

2️⃣ AI promises dramatic acceleration in traditionally slow drug discovery timelines

Nanyang Biologics claims their AI platform can identify potential drug candidates in just six minutes, representing a significant acceleration over traditional discovery methods that typically require researchers to manually sift through millions of molecules2.

The company’s earlier platform, DTIGN, demonstrated real-world results by identifying 15 potential drug candidates within six months for a Japanese client, showing practical application beyond just speed claims2.