OpenAI acquires health tech startup Torch for $60M to power ChatGPT Health

OpenAI just made its boldest healthcare move yet. The AI giant has acquired health-care technology startup Torch for roughly $60 million, CNBC reported, citing a source familiar with the deal. The price was not disclosed publicly, but the acquisition signals a deeper push into medical AI just days after OpenAI rolled out its new ChatGPT Health experience.

Torch set out to solve a problem patients know all too well. Medical records live everywhere. Lab results sit in one portal. Imaging reports live in another. Insurance data hides behind separate logins. Torch built what it called a “unified medical memory” — a system that pulls fragmented health data into one place so AI tools can actually make sense of it.

Now that vision is heading straight into OpenAI’s ecosystem.

Torch employees will join OpenAI as part of the deal. For Torch CEO Ilya Abyzov, it marks a dramatic new chapter.

“I can’t imagine a better next chapter than to now get to put our technology and ideas in the hands of the hundreds of millions of people who already use ChatGPT for health questions every week,” Abyzov wrote in a post on X.

Abyzov has been here before. He previously co-founded Forward, a direct-to-consumer primary care startup known for its tech-heavy clinics and CarePods. Forward shut down abruptly in 2024 after struggling to scale its model.

This time, the stakes are higher.

The acquisition lands just days after OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Health, a feature that lets users connect their medical records and wellness apps directly to the chatbot. The goal is to move beyond generic health answers and into personalized guidance based on real data. OpenAI has already lined up early enterprise partners, including major health systems such as HCA Healthcare.

The company is building out a full healthcare stack. Alongside consumer tools, OpenAI announced new enterprise products aimed at hospitals and care providers. Torch’s technology slots neatly into that strategy, giving OpenAI infrastructure to handle medical data across vendors and formats.

Behind the scenes, OpenAI has been laying the groundwork for deals like this. In December, the company hired Albert Lee from Google to lead corporate development. The message was clear: acquisitions will play a big role in its roadmap.

Torch is just the latest addition. OpenAI went on a buying spree in 2025, including its blockbuster purchase of Jony Ive’s AI device startup io for more than $6 billion in May.

Healthcare now sits at the center of that expansion. With Torch in the fold, OpenAI moves closer to a future in which ChatGPT does more than answer questions. It may soon help users track, organize, and make sense of their full medical history — all inside a single interface.

Big tech has chased healthcare for years. Few have managed to break through. OpenAI is betting that AI, paired with unified patient data, can finally crack it.