Philips reaches 1,000 installations of its AI-powered SmartSpeed Precise MRI
Philips announced on October 14, 2026 that the thousandth installation of SmartSpeed Precise, its magnetic resonance imaging software based on dual artificial intelligence, was completed at Unilabs Switzerland.
According to the group's installed base data, this technology is now used for at least 95% of compatible clinical examinations performed on equipped systems worldwide.
A technology designed to accelerate MRI examinations
SmartSpeed Precise combines acquisition acceleration and image reconstruction through artificial intelligence. According to Philips, it enables images up to 80% sharper and allows examinations to be performed up to three times faster than with Philips SENSE imaging.
The group positions this technology in the context of growing demand for imaging and persistent pressure on time and radiography team capacity. The thousandth installation is located at Unilabs Switzerland, where SmartSpeed Precise equips 10 Philips MRI systems.
"At this scale, we are moving beyond the promise of AI to enter its concrete use in routine MRI," said Ioannis Panagiotelis, head of MRI activities at Philips. "In MRI, speed only makes sense if it is accompanied by the image quality clinicians need to make clinical decisions with confidence."
215 hours of examination time saved per system per year
Based on its own data, Philips estimates that each system using SmartSpeed Precise saves an average of 215 hours of examination time per year compared to Philips SENSE imaging. This would represent a potential capacity of approximately 624 additional MRI examinations per system per year, depending on local demand, staffing, scheduling, and clinical practices.
Extrapolated to 1,000 installations, these estimates correspond to approximately 215,000 hours of machine time and a potential capacity of over 624,000 additional examinations per year. Pierre Bader, head of radiology at Unilabs Switzerland, indicated that the technology helps his teams "work more efficiently while improving image quality and examination speed".
Philips specified that it will continue, with healthcare partners such as Unilabs, the development of magnetic resonance imaging toward more autonomous workflows.
