Essential Informatics Tools and Computing Infrastructure for Big Data to Advance Artificial Intelligence in...

Rheumatic diseases are chronic, heterogeneous, and longitudinal, and assembling real-world evidence for effectiveness and safety for their study is best served by integrating diverse data types. This article describes the infrastructure required to support scalable, trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) in rheumatology, emphasizing data acquisition, harmonization, linkage, privacy protection, and computational environments. We outline computing infrastructure considerations relevant to rheumatology, including hybrid on-premises and cloud architectures. Sustained progress for AI applied to rheumatology will depend on deliberate investment in shared infrastructure, longitudinal data ecosystems, and governance models that balance innovation, privacy, reproducibility, and equitable clinical value.