On Wednesday, Microsoft Corp. announced AI for Health, a new $40 million, five-year program and part of the AI for Good initiative, that will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technology to empower researchers and organizations addressing some of the world's toughest challenges in health. "Artificial intelligence has the potential to solve some of humanity's greatest challenges, like improving the health of communities around the world," said Brad Smith, president, Microsoft. "We know that putting this powerful technology into the hands of experts tackling this problem can accelerate new solutions and improve access for underserved populations. That's why we created AI for Health." In a new era of tech intensity, in which technology is reshaping every organization and becoming embedded in the fabric of every aspect of our lives, digital advances will continue to reshape our world in profound ways.

Ahead of the upcoming Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference, Microsoft has announced a number of new solutions, projects and AI accelerators to assist hospitals and healthcare professionals in making intelligent health a reality. Last year the company launched Healthcare NexT to accelerate healthcare innovation through the use of artificial intelligence and cloud computing. After working together with pioneers in the industry, Microsoft is bringing its research and product development in the field to healthcare providers, biotech companies and organisations so that they too can utilise AI and the cloud to innovate. Microsoft Genomics, which will be generally available on Microsoft Azure, will provide researchers and clinicians with cloud-powered genomic processing services. The company has also named ST.