Ginkgo Bioworks

Summary

About

About Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo combines automated laboratory hardware with software for designing, scheduling and analysing biological experiments. Its Reconfigurable Automation Carts and benchtop systems connect instruments into programmable workflows, while the Catalyst software layer manages protocols, experimental data and autonomous iteration across those devices.

Customers can deploy Ginkgo automation in their own facilities or use its cloud laboratory, which provides access to more than 70 instrument types and specialist biological capabilities. The operating model supports organism engineering, screening, assay development and large experimental campaigns, with software agents and automated scheduling used to shorten the design-build-test-learn cycle.

PRICE
Range 1Y
Return
High
Low
Updated
DATA: KORTHOS

Team

  • Barry Canton - Founder
  • Austin Che - Co-founder - He leads Ginkgo's strategic partnerships and investment activity, drawing on prior responsibility for software and internal infrastructure.
  • Jason Kelly - Founder
  • Tom Knight - Founder
  • Reshma Shetty - Founder

Timeline

Events

  • 2026-08-06 - Contract Award - Ginkgo wins autonomous-laboratory projects at three U.S. universities

    The new autonomous-laboratory projects cover Caltech, Northwestern University and the University of Maryland. The MIT Media Lab's Cloud Laboratory for Learning will deploy Ginkgo Reconfigurable Automation Carts. The projects extend Ginkgo's modular laboratory robotics from its internal Nebula and Cloud Lab infrastructure into university research and education sites.

    Source
  • 2026-03-02 - Product Launch - Ginkgo launches browser-accessible Cloud Lab

    The service runs on modular Reconfigurable Automation Carts combining high-precision robotic arms, magnetic-levitation sample transport and industrial software. Remote workflows span sample preparation, liquid handling, analytical readouts, storage and incubation across a fleet of more than 70 instruments. The initial EstiMate agent accepts protocols in natural language and returns an assessment of compatibility with the autonomous fleet together with transparent pricing.

    Source
  • 2026-02-05 - Demonstration - Ginkgo and OpenAI run 36,000 autonomous lab experiments

    The system linked GPT-5 with Ginkgo's Reconfigurable Automation Carts and Catalyst software to design, execute and analyse experiments with minimal human involvement. Across six iterative cycles, the autonomous laboratory processed more than 580 384-well plates and generated nearly 150,000 experimental data points. The resulting reaction mix produced the benchmark protein sfGFP at $422 per gram in component costs, compared with a previously reported $698 per gram.

    Source
  • 2018-04-12 - Award - Ginkgo and Transcriptic receive $9.5M DARPA automation award

    The work formed part of DARPA's Synergistic Discovery and Design program, known as SD2. The project connected Ginkgo's automated foundry with Transcriptic's robotic cloud laboratory to execute biological experiments around the clock. Machine-learning systems were intended to design and analyse experiments while the linked automation generated physical results and fed them back into the design cycle.

    Source

Relations

Relationships

  • University of Maryland

    Autonomous Laboratory Project Partner - Ginkgo is delivering a government-backed autonomous-laboratory project at the University of Maryland.

  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

    Sd2 Automated Biological Design Research - DARPA awarded Ginkgo Bioworks and Transcriptic a joint $9.5 million contract under the SD2 biological-design program.

  • OpenAI

    Gpt 5 Autonomous Laboratory Research Partner - Ginkgo Bioworks and OpenAI connected GPT-5 to Ginkgo's autonomous laboratory for closed-loop biological experimentation.

  • Transcriptic

    Sd2 Robotic Laboratory Partner - Ginkgo Bioworks linked its automated foundry with Transcriptic's robotic cloud laboratory for the DARPA SD2 program.

Context

Shared workflows

Context tags

  • Industrial robotics market participation - Workflow - Korthos context supports Industrial robotics companies.
  • Factory AI vision - Capability - Korthos context supports Factory AI vision.

Commercial

  • Ginkgo wins autonomous-laboratory projects at three U.S. universities

    2026-08-06 · Order / contract · Ginkgo Bioworks secured government-backed autonomous-laboratory projects at Caltech, Northwestern University and the University of Maryland, alongside an MIT Media Lab cloud-lab deployment.

    Source