Eli Lilly is using the cash generated by its fast-growing weight-loss and diabetes drug franchise to expand its artificial intelligence strategy, including a data-sharing platform for biotech researchers that CEO David Ricks described to the Financial Times as being “like the App Store” for scientists. The initiative is part of Lilly’s broader effort to diversify its pipeline before key weight-loss drug patents begin expiring in the 2030s.
The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company has been investing in AI infrastructure, partnerships, and biotech collaborations to accelerate drug discovery. Lilly’s platform, known as Lilly TuneLab, gives participating biotech companies access to AI and machine learning models trained on decades of Lilly research data. In exchange, participants contribute data that can improve model performance through federated learning.
Lilly’s AI strategy is supported by LillyPod, a supercomputer powered by NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD B300 and 1,016 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs. Lilly said LillyPod is designed to help scientists discover and develop medicines faster, while some of the models developed through the system will be made available through Lilly TuneLab.
The company has also deepened its relationship with NVIDIA through a co-innovation lab in the San Francisco Bay Area. NVIDIA and Lilly said in January that they would jointly invest up to $1 billion over five years in talent, infrastructure, and compute to support the lab, which is focused on applying AI to drug discovery, clinical development, manufacturing, and related operations.
Charles River Laboratories recently joined the Lilly TuneLab ecosystem through a collaboration aimed at providing nonclinical testing services to TuneLab companies. The partnership is intended to help biotech participants validate and refine candidate molecules more efficiently while contributing to the broader TuneLab model ecosystem.
Lilly’s AI push comes as its financial position has strengthened significantly. In the first quarter of 2026, Lilly reported net income of $7.4 billion and earnings per share of $8.26, compared with net income of $2.8 billion and EPS of $3.06 in the prior-year period.
The company has also used its cash position to pursue external innovation. In March, Lilly and Insilico Medicine announced a global research and licensing collaboration that could be worth up to $2.75 billion, including a $115 million upfront payment and potential milestone payments.
And in May, Lilly announced agreements to acquire Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics, and Vaccine Company to expand its infectious disease portfolio. Those deals could reach up to about $3.8 billion in aggregate value, further highlighting Lilly’s push to broaden its future growth drivers beyond obesity and diabetes.
