Mayo Clinic and Google are embarking on a decade-long strategic partnership with advanced cloud computing and AI-powered analytics at its core. Together, the two giants seek to spur huge new innovations for care delivery at the health system and beyond.

WHY IT MATTERS
With Google, Mayo Clinic specifically seeks to transform the way it advances virtual care with AI-enabled digital diagnostics, according to the health system. Mayo also will put Google Cloud technology to work in helping its clinicians conduct medical research.

Through the partnership, Mayo Clinic also aims to develop and deploy new AI algorithms designed to advance precision treatments and boost clinical outcomes.

"With one of the most robust sources of clinical insights in the world, Mayo Clinic is well-positioned to lead digital transformation in health care," says Mayo Clinic CIO Christopher Ross in a statement. "Our partnership will propel a multitude of AI projects currently spearheaded by our scientists and physicians, and will provide technology tools to unlock the value of data and deliver answers at a scale much greater than today."

Google Cloud will secure and store Mayo Clinic's patient data Mayo Clinic, while also deploying an array or cloud computing and machine learning tools to help researchers there solve a variety of complex health challenges.

Mayo Clinic will continue to control access and use of its patient data using rigorous long-standing institutional controls, officials say, and will authorize the use of data in projects to create new health care insights and solutions in conjunction with various technology partners, including Google.

Google will also open a new office in Rochester, Minnesota, enabling its engineers to work alongside Mayo Clinic researchers, physicians, IT staff, data scientists and others.

THE LARGER TREND
Both Mayo Clinic and Google have been making news of their own recently. This month, Mayo is preparing to launch its first healthcare facility in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with Oxford University Clinic.

And in August, Google Cloud announced that it is working with NTT Data Services to develop new analytics and AI technologies aimed at boosting the patient experience, streamlining operations and lowering costs for payers and providers.

ON THE RECORD
"Data-driven medical innovation is growing exponentially, and our partnership with Google will help us lead the digital transformation in health care," says Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic, in a statement. "It will empower us to solve some of the most complex medical problems; better anticipate the needs of people we serve; and meet them when, where and how they need us. We will share our knowledge and expertise globally while caring for people locally and always do it with a human touch."

"Healthcare is one of the most important fields that technology will help transform over the next decade, and it's a major area of investment for Google," added Google CEO Sundar Pichai. "By pairing the Mayo Clinic's world-class clinical expertise with our capabilities in AI and cloud computing, we have an extraordinary opportunity to develop services that will significantly improve lives."