Global Big Data Conference

The application of convolutional neural network technology continues to expand beyond machine vision use cases to the red-hot drug discovery market. The application of AI to new drug development has moved in fits and starts, including IBM's (NYSE: IBM) decision last year to pull the plug on its Watson AI software for pharmaceutical research. Lately, investors are warming to new small molecule drug discovery efforts, including recent efforts aimed at developing therapies for COVID-19. The latest example comes from Atomwise, a San Francisco-based company that claims to have developed the first convolutional neural network for new drug discovery. Atomwise announced a hefty $123 million Series B funding round this week, bringing its investment total to more than $174 million.