On Monday, OpenAI revealed that it paid an undisclosed amount to acquire the healthtech startup Torch. The San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) giant added that ChatGPT Health, its end-user healthcare-focused offering, will be enhanced by the technology. One of the startup’s co-founders has stated that the acquisition cost the ChatGPT maker more than $100 million (approximately Rs. 902.2 crore) in equity for the business, which makes it intriguing. Notably, since the beginning of 2026, OpenAI has been actively entering the healthcare industry. Both firms announced that Torch’s four-person team is joining OpenAI.
The official OpenAI account announced the purchase of Torch in a post on X (previously Twitter), adding, “Bringing this together with ChatGPT Health opens up a new way to understand and manage your health.” The AI giant is not just buying the business but also hiring all four of Torch’s employees.
It is also said that Torch was developing an app that tends to integrate all of a person’s medical data for AI use from many sources, including lab tests, wearables, doctor visits, and other portals, such as consumer wellness exams. “A medical memory for AI, unifying scattered records into a context engine” is how the Torch team described their technology.
It’s interesting to note that Torch is a young company that was established in 2025 but hasn’t yet released a product. “We designed Torch to be a unified medical memory for AI, bringing every bit of data about you from hospitals, labs, wearables, and consumer testing companies into one place,” wrote co-founder Ilya Abyzov in a post outlining the project.
OpenAI is expected to apply the memory-optimisation technology to ChatGPT Health, enabling it to manage large file uploads without losing context or breaking conversations. However, it is still unclear why the AI giant chose to spend over $100 million, or around Rs. 902.2 crore, on a technology that it might have created internally. Notably, co-founder Adrian Aoun disclosed the deal’s financial details in a LinkedIn post.
From a post on X by Torch co-founder Ilya Abyzov, the team first connected while they were employed at Forward Health. Forward was well-known for its AI-powered medical facilities. After financing more than $400 million, it abruptly closed in late 2024.
Abyzov further said on X that he sees no better future than delivering their technology to the vast audience that already relies on ChatGPT for health-related questions.
Interestingly, OpenAI has also released ChatGPT for Healthcare, an enterprise suite for medical facilities. It includes an OpenAI application programming interface (API) and a customised GPT-5-powered AI platform that will allow developers working in the healthcare industry, as well as hospitals and physicians, to access AI for a variety of jobs. It’s unclear if this product will also make use of Torch’s tech stack.
This acquisition means a new destiny, as the group and its technology will be a part of OpenAI’s recently unveiled ChatGPT Health service, which allows users to use the chatbot to assess and manage their health.
Just some days into the new year, ChatGPT Health was introduced as a separate, encrypted section of the app for managing one’s own health.
The integration of Touch with ChatGPT Health will mean that the chatbot will be able to identify longitudinal patterns and connect disparate records to offer tailored wellness advice to its users. With this aid also, Torch intends to extend this to more official medical records in which users can already link data from wellness applications like Apple Health and MyFitnessPal.
According to OpenAI, data will not be utilised to train its foundation models, and health talks within this feature employ specialised encryption and isolation.
This strategic move and action comes after OpenAI’s larger 2026 healthcare expansion, which consists of:
Enterprise-Grade Tools: In addition to the consumer feature, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT for Healthcare, which is intended to assist administrators and clinicians in minimising administrative costs in a workplace that complies with HIPAA regulations.
Global Reach: In order to verify these AI models against medical standards, the company is presently working with significant health systems like HCA Healthcare.
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