In the United States, SandboxAQ, a quantum computing and AI technology company, has announced the availability of two of its large quantitative models (LQMs) on Google Cloud Marketplace. This initiative aims to enhance AI-assisted developments in various fields, including materials science, healthcare, and drug discovery. The first model, AQCat, is set to be available in the third quarter of 2026 and focuses on catalyst and materials discovery by calculating adsorption energy, which measures how strongly molecules bind to catalyst surfaces. This model is expected to help researchers quickly identify promising candidates for materials discovery, which is crucial for industries that rely on catalysts, such as green hydrogen production and sustainable aviation fuel. The second model, AQPotency, will be available later in 2026 and will allow researchers to computationally identify and prioritize potential drug binders at high throughput, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with traditional screening methods. This model is particularly important for pharmaceutical and biotech research and development teams, as binding molecule identification is foundational for designing safe and effective drugs. The integration of these LQMs with Google Cloud's platform is seen as a significant step towards empowering healthcare researchers to accelerate drug discovery and address critical gaps in healthcare. SandboxAQ, which began as part of Alphabet in 2016 and became a spin-out in 2022, is chaired by Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google.
