The Portuguese Sword Health will invest €250 million by 2028 to create a hub world of innovation for the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare in Portugal. The company’s annual investment in human resources over the next three years will double, to €60 million euros, in line with the growth of the team operating in Portugal, from 500 to more than 930 people.
The number of engineers will more than double during this period, going from 340 to more than 700, with human resources being one of the strategic pillars of investment alongside technological infrastructure and research and development, said the company’s executive president and founder, Virgílio Bento, this Monday, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, and the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins.
“This investment of 250 million euros in Portugal, until 2028, reflects our belief that the country has all the conditions to become a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence. It also reinforces our vision for a more innovative Portugal, capable of elevating its talent and creating global, world-leading solutions. This is the example that Sword wants to set in the national ecosystem.”, stated Virgílio Bento.
Unicorn will give bags
The Portuguese unicorn, exporter of artificial intelligence in health, with more than 600,000 patients treated on three continents and 9 million AI sessions carried out since 2020, will strengthen its connection to academia, along with the recruitment of professionals with doctorates and the integration of recent graduates and researchers, with 60 doctoral and master’s scholarships expected to be awarded by 2028.
Sword Health invented a digital platform to provide physiotherapy remotely
Rui Duarte Silva
The planned investment in advanced computing infrastructure in artificial intelligence in 2026 is €10 million, with the annual value expected to reach €27 million in 2028.
Regarding R&D (research and development), the company plans to strengthen its capacity for scientific and technological innovation, enhancing collaborations with Portuguese universities and research centers.
Sword Health soma 40 patentes
With these measures, Sword Health believes it will enhance the creation of qualified employment“consolidating Portugal’s leadership in artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector”, alongside attracting international investment and validating and exporting models developed in the country to healthcare systems around the world.
The company has developed solutions that aim to guarantee access to healthcare anytime, anywhere “significantly reducing costs for insurers, employers, national health systems and other healthcare organizations”, estimating that it has already helped its clients save more than a billion dollars (€867 million at current exchange rates) in healthcare costs.
Valued at 4 billion dollars (€3.5 billion), Sword Health has more than 40 clinical studies and 40 patents and has raised over $500 million (€433 million) from leading investors including Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst, Transformation Capital and Founders Fund.