Sanofi Expands AI Capabilities with $294M Investment in Toronto Hub

The expansion, announced May 4, is supported by a conditional grant of up to $5 million from the Invest Ontario Fund.

Sanofi will invest $294 million to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) center of excellence in Toronto, scaling its digital infrastructure and accelerating AI deployment across its global operations.

The expansion, announced May 4, is supported by a conditional grant of up to $5 million from the Invest Ontario Fund. The initiative is expected to create 50 high-skilled roles in AI, machine learning, and data science by 2028.

The Toronto hub, established four years ago, already employs more than 150 professionals across cloud computing, data engineering, software development, bioinformatics, and pharmaceutical data science. New hires will focus on designing and deploying AI tools across drug discovery, manufacturing, and commercial operations.

“AI is woven into how we discover, develop, produce, and support therapies,” said Emmanuel Frenehard, noting that the company aims to reduce the time from drug discovery to delivery through AI integration.

Sanofi cited access to local biopharma expertise and AI talent, along with partnerships with the province of Ontario, as key factors driving the expansion, according to Dimitrije Jankovic.

The investment reflects broader industry momentum as pharmaceutical companies scale AI adoption. In April, Merck & Co. entered a partnership worth up to $1 billion with Google Cloud to build an AI ecosystem across its operations.

Similarly, Novo Nordisk partnered with OpenAI to integrate AI into enterprise workflows, while Eli Lilly has collaborated with Nvidia to develop AI infrastructure and drug discovery capabilities.

Sanofi has also advanced AI-led research through partnerships, including its collaboration with BenchSci, which provides tools combining scientific data and internal datasets to support research. The company has further applied AI to develop “digital twins,” or virtual patient models, used to evaluate drug safety and efficacy.

The expansion comes shortly after Belén Garijo assumed leadership of the company, following her tenure at Merck KGaA.

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