Amazon Web Services (AWS) is committing $100 million towards artificial intelligence, agentic services and cloud infrastructures for organizations to close healthcare gaps across the globe.
The funds are part of the AWS Health Impact Initiative (HII), a five-year program, announced Monday.
While “agents and AI are revolutionizing” healthcare services, communities that need them often miss out if organizations don’t know how to access them, AWS Chief Medical Officer and Director of Healthcare and Life Sciences Rowland Illing, M.D., said in a statement.
“The AWS Health Impact Initiative helps organizations that support those communities to build with AI and extends our commitment to democratize AI and cloud-powered health innovations that benefit everyone, everywhere,” Illing said.
HII funds projects based on three main domains: expanding access to healthcare services, improving access to healthy food and advancing women’s and children’s health research and innovation.
AWS says the domains were informed by customer feedback, peer-reviewed research and AWS’ social impact investments. The company highlighted the AWS Health Equity Initiative (HEI), which was launched in 2021 and provided $60 million towards AI and cloud technology to more than 400 awardees.
Since 2021, AWS has supported over 600 health organizations in more than 80 countries, executives say.
Organizations, ranging from healthcare nonprofits to government agencies to research institutions, can apply for financial support on the AWS website.
Applications will be reviewed weekly, the company says.