SandboxAQ to Bring Physics-Grounded Drug Discovery Models to Google Cloud Marketplace
Key Insights
SandboxAQ (search) announced its Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) will be available through Google Cloud (search)'s Marketplace, with AQCat (search) for materials discovery and AQPotency (search) for drug discovery arriving in Q3 2026.
LQMs are physics-grounded AI models trained on real-world lab data and scientific equations, enabling predictive molecular simulation without specialized infrastructure.
AQPotency (search) allows researchers to computationally evaluate thousands of drug candidates for target binding at high throughput, dramatically reducing time and cost compared to traditional screening.
SandboxAQ (search), the Alphabet spinout chaired by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, announced it will make its Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) accessible through Google Cloud (search)'s Marketplace, extending the reach of its physics-grounded scientific AI tools to pharmaceutical and biotech R&D teams worldwide. The move follows the company's recent integration with Anthropic (search)'s Claude and represents a broader strategy of connecting its LQMs to leading large language models.
Brian Goldstein, Vice President Strategic AI and ISV at Google Cloud (search), stated that "bringing SandboxAQ (search)'s Large Quantitative Models to GCP Marketplace is one of the ways we are empowering healthcare researchers to accelerate drug discovery and solve one of the most critical gaps in healthcare today."
What Are Large Quantitative Models?
Unlike conventional large language models trained on text patterns, SandboxAQ (search)'s LQMs are built on real-world lab data and scientific equations. They can run quantum chemistry calculations and simulate molecular dynamics, giving researchers predictive insight into how candidate molecules will behave before laboratory testing begins. The company describes these models as engineered for the more than $50 trillion global quantitative economy, spanning sectors including biopharma, energy, advanced materials, and financial services.
Previously, accessing SandboxAQ (search)'s models required users to provide their own computing infrastructure. The Google Cloud (search) Marketplace listing removes that barrier, allowing users to tap into rigorous scientific models directly from conversational AI tools they already use, with no specialized code or infrastructure required.
AQPotency (search): High-Throughput Drug Candidate Screening
SandboxAQ (search)'s drug discovery model, AQPotency (search), will be available in Google Cloud (search)'s Marketplace in Q3 2026. The tool enables researchers to computationally identify and prioritize the most promising binders — molecules that attach to a specific biological target, such as a disease-related protein — at high throughput. Finding molecules that bind tightly and selectively is the foundation of designing a safe, effective drug.
AQPotency (search) can evaluate thousands of candidates in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional screening methods. The commercial stakes are substantial: according to Straits Research, the global drug discovery market was valued at roughly $112 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach approximately $187 billion by 2034.
AQCat (search): Materials and Catalyst Discovery
Also arriving in Q3 2026, AQCat (search) will be SandboxAQ (search)'s first LQM available in Google Cloud (search)'s Marketplace. It targets adsorption energy calculation — a measure of how strongly molecules bind to a catalyst surface — which is the most critical first step in catalyst and materials discovery. AQCat delivers what the company describes as gold-standard accuracy at a fraction of the time and cost, unlocking materials screening at a scale previously out of reach. Catalysts underpin more than 90% of all commercially produced chemical products, with direct impact across green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, fertilizer production, and plastics recycling.
Strategic Positioning
"Bringing our LQMs to Google Cloud (search)'s Marketplace will put the rigor of first-principles science directly into the hands of every researcher, in the tools they already use," said Jack D. Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ (search). "Pairing the reasoning of a frontier model such as Gemini with the quantitative precision of our LQMs is a powerful combination."
The collaboration deepens GCP Marketplace's relevance for pharmaceutical and biotech R&D teams, bringing frontier, physics-grounded drug discovery capabilities into a platform millions of users already rely on. SandboxAQ (search) has raised more than $950 million to date across multiple scientific and cybersecurity business lines, with backing from investors including funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Google, Alger, IQT, S32, Paladin Capital, BNP Paribas, and Eric Schmidt.