- The University of Utah received $18.6 million to develop AI-assisted computing infrastructure to advance medical and policy decisions.
- The Utah Health AI Vault aims to enhance cancer treatment while maintaining data privacy.
- $15 million will fund a new slot within an existing data center and AI supercomputer expansion.
SALT LAKE CITY — Could artificial intelligence be used to improve outcomes for cancer patients and families with higher cancer risks?
The University of Utah is looking to answer that question, harnessing millions in state funding to build an AI-assisted computing infrastructure to advance medical and policy decisions.
The passage of HB2 during the 2026 legislative session ushered in an $18.6 million investment in a new technology system to maximize understanding of data stored in the Utah Population Database and to leverage the expertise of researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and across campus, to accelerate health innovations and discoveries for future generations.
"The Utah Population Database has been used to discover the most common and prevalent genes that are inherited in cancer. It's been used to discover the gene for colon cancer, for breast cancer, and for inherited melanoma," said Bradley Cairns, CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute.
The investment also includes the planned development of the Utah Health AI Vault — which will be housed at the U. — in a partnership with the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the database and the U.'s Center for High Performance Computing.
The funding for the Utah Health AI Vault will update the Utah Population Database's data architecture to make it compatible with innovations in data science and AI.
"We are trying to personalize cancer therapies and match patients to the best possible therapies and AI has the capability of looking at large data sets that examine patient cancer types and their treatments and their outcomes, and through that examination, we can look at your tumor and your medical history to find the right treatment that will be optimal for you," said Cairns, who will also co-direct the Utah Health AI Vault alongside James Hotaling, chief innovation officer at University of Utah Health.
"AI has the ability to do this at a large scale and very accurately," Cairns added
While the notion of any AI having access to a database of Utahns could be cause for concern, Cairns pointed out that individuals aren't actually identified in the database.
Instead, the database uses a unique identifying system that doesn't connect someone's data to their personal information.
"Their data is present, but not their identity. It's privacy-preserving," Cairns said.
Additionally, another $15 million will support the expansion of the university and the state's broader AI ecosystem through an AI supercomputer slated to come online this summer. Together, the state investments amount to over $33 million, positioning Utah to lead the nation in AI-enabled health innovation.
Cairns said it will take about three years for the "rearchitecture" (essentially making it compatible with innovations in data science and AI) of the database to ensure privacy and security and for the AI tools to be written to analyze that database.
Through the Utah Health AI Vault, researchers will gain "unprecedented" capabilities to accelerate breakthroughs in prevention, early detection, personalized treatments and survivorship across numerous diseases, all while ensuring sensitive and private data remains secure.
"The AI supercomputer is going to enable this type of analysis," Cairns said. "This will only use a very small fraction of the AI supercomputer capability. That supercomputer is going to lift all boats, at basically all the USHE (Utah System of Higher Education) partners and in many, many departments across the university."
U. President Taylor Randall called the initiative a "powerful example of what becomes possible when a state chooses to invest boldly in the health and future of its people."
"Utah's leadership understands that world-class discovery, advanced computing, and responsible data stewardship are essential to improving the lives of patients, families, and communities across our state. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and the trust it represents, and we are committed to delivering innovation that serves the public good," Randall said in a statement.
