Nvidia is making significant strides into the healthcare sector, with ambitions to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) into various departments within hospitals.

The tech giant has already made multiple investments and established partnerships in fields such as digital health, biotech, virtual care, and drug development.

According to Powell, Vice President of Healthcare at Nvidia, after the large-scale development of large language models over the past two years, the next wave of AI will transform medical devices into robots. Powell told Business Insider: "Physical AI is coming, and the entire hospital will become an AI."

Powell defines physical AI as "models capable of perceiving, understanding, and interacting with the real world." She noted that there are countless applications for this technology in healthcare. While the healthcare industry may take "years" to fully embrace the wave of physical AI, the transition could happen faster than expected, given that key components of physical AI are already being adopted in the field.

She explained that these physical AI systems require three computers working in tandem: one to train the AI, another to simulate the physical world in a digital space (referred to as a "digital twin"), and a third to control the robots.

Hospitals could use these digital twins to train clinical doctors, for instance, by allowing them to practice surgery in a virtual operating room. However, Powell stated that Nvidia envisions robots playing a role far beyond the operating room. These robots could be used to monitor patients for falls in hospital wards or even deliver fresh linens to patients.

Powell clarified that while Nvidia does not aim to become a healthcare company or acquire any healthcare firms, it is supporting numerous startups in the digital health field with both funding and technology.

Resource (mandarin): 正深入醫療保健領域 Nvidia擬將實體AI引進醫院