Biotechnology giant Amgen (AMGN.US) invests $200 million in India, betting on the "AI + pharmaceuticals" track.

The United States biotech giant Amgen Inc. Chief Executive Officer Robert Bradway said at the inauguration ceremony of a large base in Hyderabad, India on Monday, that the company will invest about $200 million in its newly built technology center in southern India this year, and plans to make larger investments in the future. Amgen announced last year that it would establish a "Technology and Innovation" center in the Indian market, focusing on the application of artificial intelligence and data science in the development of new drugs, making full use of India's vast IT talent pool. By building a large-scale AI drug discovery digital twin system based on the IT talent pool, it is expected to greatly shorten the drug development cycle, which is why the "AI healthcare" sector in the global stock market has shown a significant increase recently. "AI+", refers to the cutting-edge concept of integrating "AI big models/generative AI applications/AI agents" led by tech giants like OpenAI into various industries to accelerate industry innovation and productivity revolution. The deep integration of generative AI with the medical/pharmaceutical/pharmaceutical fields has significantly promoted multiple research advancements, especially in areas such as drug discovery, gene editing, disease diagnosis, patient monitoring, and medical image analysis. By 2025, a large number of breakthrough research results related to "AI+ healthcare" with great commercial prospects are expected to emerge. 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Demis Hassabis even boldly claimed: by the end of this year, it is very likely that some AI-designed drugs will enter clinical trials. Hassabis explained that his Isomorphic Labs, which he leads, is focused on shortening the drug development process from a decade or more to "a few weeks or months." Amgen CEO Bradway said, "We have long sought to expand Amgen's presence in India, and now the time has come. Amgen will invest an initial $200 million in the center by 2025 and plans to make significant additional investments in the coming years." Amgen India's Country Managing Director Som Chattopadhyay said that the large base in Hyderabad is expected to have about 2,000 employees by the end of the year, with nearly 300 employees already on board. BioAsia, a biotechnology conference, will also be held in Hyderabad this week, where executives from global multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Amgen, Eli Lilly, and Novartis AG Sponsored ADR, as well as executives from many Indian pharmaceutical giants, will speak. Amgen is one of many global pharmaceutical companies seeking to expand in the Indian market, which has long been known as the "pharmacy of the world." After a meeting between US President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi earlier this month, the two countries agreed to initiate early trade agreement negotiations to resolve tariff disputes between the two countries. U.S. Consul General Jennifer Larson in Hyderabad said, "An important outcome of the talks is the launch of the US-India Trust Initiative to promote key and emerging technology cooperation - which is exactly what the two countries need." "The decision by Amgen Inc. to expand its footprint here is an excellent example of the two countries working together to harness the synergies of innovation, talent, and technology." However, Trump plans to impose "25% or higher" tariffs on global drug imports, which could severely affect Indian pharmaceutical companies - as most of its generic drug manufacturers consider the United States as their largest market.