According to 36kr, ByteDance's AI drug development business line has officially started the process of separation and independent financing. It is understood that after the separation, ByteDance will still maintain controlling equity in the new company. The core team, core algorithms, technical platform, and existing pipeline assets of AI drug development will be fully integrated into the new entity, which will be led by the original ByteDance AI drug development team. In addition, this independent business will continue to receive underlying computing power support from Volcano Engine.

The team was established in 2021 and is led by Liu Kai. Currently, it has about 50 core members, consisting of AI4S (AI for Science) algorithm experts and experienced pharmaceutical professionals. From its inception, the team has been responsible for core functions ranging from basic model research to industrial application. Before this separation, the internal team at ByteDance responsible for protein structure prediction models has been smoothly integrated into Liu Kai's AI drug development team, achieving a deep integration of the algorithm model team. Except for a few people who have left, the team will continue to advance research on foundational models in this field.

As a typical example of the intersection between large models and cutting-edge science, AI-driven drug development has become a new competitive field among tech giants. By separating the AI drug development business and introducing external funding, ByteDance not only helps optimize resource allocation and improve commercialization efficiency but also marks a new stage in the transformation of its AI4S business from internal incubation within a large company to market-oriented independent operations. This may accelerate the industrial application of AI4S in the biopharmaceutical field.