SAS and NC State Launched AI Think Tank
The two-year pilot aims to improve reliability and reduce early-stage research costs in healthcare and agriculture.
Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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The SAS Institute and NC State University have announced a new artificial intelligence think tank based in Cary. This research collaboration focuses on integrating studies of living organisms with organoid laboratory research to optimize drug and therapy development.
Why it matters
By pairing university research with enterprise data expertise, the project seeks to build AI systems that produce reliable, responsible results. This effort aims to accelerate discovery and lower the financial barrier to entry for early-stage scientific research.
The partnership spans a two-year pilot phase, building on a five-decade relationship between the entities. SAS was originally founded on analytical models developed at NC State.
The players
SAS Institute
A developer of advanced analytics software and AI systems based in Cary.
NC State University
A research university specializing in life sciences and computational studies.
Jim Goodnight
The CEO of SAS who formally announced the new research initiative.
The details
Researchers plan to integrate observations of living organisms with laboratory studies using organoids—miniaturized, simplified versions of organs grown in vitro that mimic tissue structure. The project leverages SAS analytical expertise to process these complex biological datasets. By standardizing these inputs, the team aims to create repeatable AI models for use by other research institutions and commercial enterprises.
Timeline
October 8, 2026: SAS CEO Jim Goodnight announced the partnership.
Two-year period: The think tank will operate as a pilot program.
The Tech Race
The initiative follows a long history of commercial application for models originally developed within university research environments. It positions the collaboration against emerging AI-driven drug discovery platforms that struggle to balance speed with clinical reliability.
The project intends to release an analytical model for external use by other research institutions and companies at the end of the pilot. Local researchers and agricultural scientists in the area are the first likely groups to interact with these refined modeling workflows.
The takeaway
This partnership seeks to move AI-driven biological research toward standardized, high-reliability outcomes. Observers should track the release of the promised analytical model at the conclusion of the two-year pilot to gauge its broader industry utility.
Further reading
For more on how computational models are shifting research, visit the Artificial Intelligence section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The North State Journal.
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