On Dec. 5, 2025, Ginkgo Bioworks announced it has been awarded by the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) a four-year, up to $47M contract to co-design, build, and integrate a High‑Throughput Automated Phenotyping Platform (HTP‑APP) in support of the Microbial Molecular Phenotyping Capability (M2PC).

The platform, selected through a competitive procurement process, is intended to enable the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research program to generate rich, reproducible microbial and microbiome data that ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of the bioeconomy, safeguarding economic, societal, and national security benefits while maintaining global leadership in biotechnology innovation.

Drawing on Ginkgo Automation’s dynamic Catalyst scheduling software and modular Reconfigurable Automation Carts (RACs), the HTP‑APP is designed to automate end‑to‑end workflows—from media and cultivation to sample preparation and multimodal analytics—while supporting BSL‑2 operations, remote planning and execution, and laboratory integration. This modular approach is expected to help PNNL adapt the platform as scientific needs evolve, add new methods or instrumentation, and maintain high uptime in a user‑facility environment. Conceptual design elements include a RAC‑based architecture with function‑oriented “pods,” integrated transport, and software‑enabled interleaving of diverse protocols.

M2PC is focused on delivering a predictive understanding of complex biological systems relevant to DOE’s mission. The planned platform is intended to (i) increase throughput and reproducibility of phenotyping campaigns across diverse microbes and consortia, (ii) capture multimodal analytical measurements suitable for AI/ML, and (iii) provide a sustainable, expandable foundation for future instrumentation and workflows at PNNL’s EMSL.

Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone. Ginkgo R&D Solutions delivers customizable R&D packages—such as protein engineering, nucleic acid design, and cell-free systems—giving partners a comprehensive way to accelerate innovation across therapeutics, diagnostics, & manufacturing.