Gilead Sciences expands Cognizant partnership to accelerate AI integration across technology programs

USA—Gilead Sciences has extended its agreement with Cognizant for five years to strengthen its DevOps capabilities and support the responsible deployment of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) across selected technology initiatives.

The renewed agreement builds on more than a decade of collaboration between the US biopharmaceutical company and the technology services provider.

It will combine Cognizant’s life sciences expertise with its software development and operational capabilities to improve technology delivery at Gilead.

Focus on software development and AI integration

Under the agreement, the companies will identify and implement targeted applications of agentic AI, an AI systems designed to perform tasks and execute workflows with varying degrees of autonomy.

The initiatives will focus on simplifying operational processes, improving technical delivery and helping project teams implement priority technology programmes more efficiently.

The collaboration will also support Gilead’s efforts to strengthen its DevOps environment, which brings software development and IT operations closer together.

DevOps practices can help organisations accelerate software releases, improve system reliability and respond more quickly to changing business requirements.

Gilead Global Chief Information Officer Anna Berg Asberg said the company wants to provide its teams with reliable and efficient technology to support their work.

She added that the agreement would strengthen its DevOps capabilities while enabling the company to evaluate practical and responsible applications of AI across its technology environment.

These efforts support Gilead’s broader mission to develop and deliver medicines for patients.

Cognizant Americas President Surya Gummadi said the company valued the opportunity to continue supporting Gilead’s technology priorities.

He said the collaboration would bring together life sciences expertise, DevOps capabilities and AI tools to improve delivery across selected programmes.

Building on a decade of technology support

Cognizant has supported elements of Gilead’s global IT infrastructure, software platforms, enterprise applications and advanced analytics capabilities throughout their longstanding relationship.

The five-year extension expands the scope of their work by providing additional resources for selected DevOps and AI-driven initiatives.

The companies have not disclosed the agreement’s financial terms or specified which AI applications they will deploy.

For biopharmaceutical companies, these technology investments are increasingly relevant as research, development and commercial operations generate growing volumes of complex data.

Integrating software development, analytics and AI tools can help teams manage workflows, improve access to information and coordinate technology projects across different functions.

However, deploying agentic AI in a regulated industry also requires appropriate oversight, particularly where automated workflows interact with sensitive information, research systems or processes that support medicine development.

Companies must assess system reliability, data security and governance before expanding the use of such tools.

Gilead’s expanded arrangement with Cognizant provides a framework for advancing selected technology programmes while drawing on a service provider with established experience in the life sciences sector.

Separate agreement targets HIV prevention access

The technology agreement follows another development involving Gilead’s healthcare access strategy.

Last month, the company signed an agreement with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to accelerate access to its long-acting lenacapavir injection for HIV prevention across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Lenacapavir is administered twice yearly for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), offering an alternative to prevention regimens that require more frequent dosing.

The agreement focuses on improving access to the medicine in the region, where public health programmes continue to address barriers to HIV prevention and treatment.

The two agreements cover different areas of Gilead’s operations: the Cognizant partnership focuses on technology infrastructure and AI-enabled delivery, while the PAHO arrangement addresses access to HIV prevention.

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