AI will cure cancer in our lifetime, claims boss of UK chip giant

AI will cure cancer in our lifetime, claims boss of UK chip giant. Photograph: Malcolm Park/AlamyAI will help find cure for cancer ‘within our lifetimes’, says Arm Holdings chiefRene Haas also claims artificial intelligence could pave way for widespread use of humanoid robots within five years Business live – latest updates The boss of one of the UK’s biggest chip companies has claimed AI will be able to find a cure for cancer “in our lifetime”.

What happened

Haas, who stepped down from the board of British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in April, told the BBC's Big Boss Interview podcast: "AI is going to. . . find a cure for cancer that today you and I, other humans [could] not in our lifetimes. Figure caption, Rene Haas predicts AI will change the way cancer cures are developedByFaisal IslamEconomics editorPublished8 September 2026, 00:05 BSTUpdated 4 hours agoThe boss of the biggest UK-headquartered tech firm has said that artificial intelligence will find a cure for cancer that humans cannot in our lifetimes.

Big Boss Interview: Arm Holdings Rene HaasThe CEO of chip design company Arm tells the BBC AI will help cure cancer, lead to widespread humanoid robots in the next five years, but says its rapid growth is being held up by a shortage of chips needed in data centres. I believe in our lifetime, AI will help cure cancer. Explore more on these topicsArmAI (artificial intelligence)CancerMedical researchRobotsComputingHealthShareReuse this contentMore on this storyMore on this storyBBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri reveals she has incurable blood cancerArm boss in line for billion-dollar payday if chipmaker hits targets Genetically modified pig kidney keeps man alive for record nine months OpenAI hails ‘new era of artificial general intelligence’ with Astra model releaseArm looks to launch its own chip after landing Meta contractBill Gates calls for ‘human-reserved’ jobs in face of AI takeover‘A mouse can’t tell us what works’: UK scientists to grow miniature human organs for drug testingGPs’ advice service is causing cancer diagnoses to be missed, inquiry finds‘I see the incredible promise’: on set of an AI film shoot as new studios embrace controversial techWeight-loss drugs can cut breast cancer risk by up to 30%, studies suggestMost viewedMost viewed

Rene Haas, chief executive of Cambridge-based chip designer Arm Holdings, said while modelling how a DNA marker is impacted by cancer was currently "too complex" a problem, computers are "going to solve it" in the future. "But he does not believe that manufacturing, currently centralised around Taiwanese giant TSMC, could eventually occur in the UK, despite the government holding talks with the industry about the possibility of bringing parts of the physical chip supply chain over here.

The wider picture

Related topicsArtificial intelligenceCancerMedical researchARM HoldingsCompaniesMore on this storyOpenAI chief scientist warns no one is prepared for consequences of AIPublished1 day agoTime is running out for cyber security, warn top tech firmsPublished27 AugustAI boom will produce victors and carnage, tech boss warnsPublished28 January Skip to main contentSkip to navigation As computers that run AI get more sophisticated they will eventually find a cancer cure, said Arm’s Rene Haas. Haas stepped down from the board of British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in April,Earlier this year, Arm also proposed a pay scheme for Haas that could make him a billionaire if he hits targets to turn the chip designer into a trillion-dollar company.

Haas also told the BBC that AI would lead to widespread humanoid robots in the next five years, but that its current rapid growth was being held up by a shortage of chips needed to build data centres. However, he was sceptical about the idea chips could be manufactured in the UK in the future. Arm designs the brains or CPUs of microchips already used in hundreds of billions of phones, cars, smartwatches and gadgets across the globe.

"Modelling a cell, modelling a human, modelling how a DNA marker is impacted by cancer – it's too complex a problem, not only for humans today, but the computers that run AI. Prof Chris Bakal, from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and CEO of Sentinal4D, said the real question was no longer whether we use AI, it's what we feed it.

What has been reported

"Job losses 'overstated'In a wide-ranging interview, Haas said the chips Arm designs would fuel self-learning AI robots "in a very large way" in manufacturing, cleaning, security, building bridges, and doing repairs within a decade. This has led to a significant evolution in its business in recent months, selling its own microchips. Facebook-owner Meta asked Arm to develop the Arm AGI chip and "demand has been off the charts", according to Haas, with more than $2bn worth of demand since it was launched in March.

Listen on SoundsThere have, however, been challenges in the supply of many types of chips, which Haas believes is holding back the roll-out of AI and data centres. We need more fabs [chip factories] before we can put a data centre in space. “However, going forward, as we feed more and more of the models into these computers, and the computers get more sophisticated to run the models, they’re going to solve it. ”Scientists are already using AI-driven tools in cancer research and testing.

Haas added that AI would also pave the way for widespread humanoid robots within the next five years, but that chip shortages were stunting growth in the area. “So, in the service industry, the robot that was programmed to make a bed can also learn how to arrange the towels in a room, or clean the dustbins, or whatever you want to go off and do. ”Arm, which is listed in New York but retains its global headquarters in Cambridge, has about 500 users of its chip designs worldwide, including Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm and Nvidia.

What happens next

His games defy convention with punishing fights, obscure rules, and unknowable, inhospitable worlds. A gilded statue of Malania, one of Elden Ring’s toughest bosses, looms over this dimly lit conference room inside From’s headquarters, a bonfire checkpoint away from the chaos. Hands are a recurring motif in Miyazaki’s games; in Elden Ring, massive crawling hands burrow up from underground to attack you, and hand-like giants are revered as deities. “I feel it’s less a traditional romance and more a sense of secure trust with a character in the world, and that’s something I personally yearn for,” he says.

Arm Holding's chief executive Rene Haas says artificial intelligence will find a solution to the disease. Earlier this summer, the company's peak share price amid the AI boom made it, in cash terms, the most valuable UK-based company in history. "However, going forward, as we feed more and more of the models into these computers, and the computers get more sophisticated to run the models, they're going to solve it," said Haas, who also holds a key role in Arm's main owner, the Japan-based Softbank, which has a range of investments in tech including in OpenAI.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.