Ginkgo Bioworks Selected by PNNL to Deliver a Modular, High‑Throughput Phenotyping Platform for DOE's M2PC

Core Insights - Ginkgo Bioworks has been awarded a four-year contract worth up to $47 million by the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory to develop a High-Throughput Automated Phenotyping Platform [1][5] - The platform aims to enhance the U.S. Department of Energy's capabilities in generating reproducible microbial data, thereby supporting the bioeconomy and biotechnology innovation [1][4] Group 1: Contract and Collaboration - The contract is part of a competitive procurement process and will support the Microbial Molecular Phenotyping Capability [1][5] - Ginkgo Automation will utilize its Catalyst scheduling software and modular Reconfigurable Automation Carts to automate workflows from media preparation to multimodal analytics [2][3] Group 2: Technological Features - The HTPAPP is designed to support BSL2 operations, remote planning, and laboratory integration, allowing for adaptability as scientific needs evolve [2][9] - Key features include a modular architecture, integrated transport, and software-enabled interleaving of diverse protocols to maximize efficiency [2][9] Group 3: Strategic Importance - The project aligns with the recent AI Action Plan aimed at boosting U.S. scientific innovation through AI-enabled cloud laboratories [4] - The platform is expected to increase throughput and reproducibility of phenotyping campaigns, capturing multimodal analytical measurements suitable for AI and machine learning applications [5][9] Group 4: Company Overview - Ginkgo Bioworks specializes in engineering biology, offering customizable R&D solutions across various sectors including therapeutics, diagnostics, and agriculture [8] - The company also provides laboratory automation solutions to enhance research efficiency and data generation for AI models [8]