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Ginkgo Bioworks reiterates 2026 cash burn outlook amid shift to autonomous labs
The company said revenue recognition for its new automation segment will be lumpy, with hardware revenue recognized on delivery and installation plus long tail recurring SaaS licensing and maintenance.
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings is reframing its business around autonomous laboratory infrastructure as management argues this is a critical U.S. scientific competitiveness priority, tied to concerns that drug discovery work has been offshored to China.
In the latest quarter, the company pointed to a significant revenue decline, which it attributed to the divestiture of its biosecurity segment and the conclusion of legacy service agreements. Operationally, Ginkgo said it is improving efficiency through “productization” of lab hardware using standardized rack carts to support faster expansion and debugging compared with traditional custom automation.
Management also described a transition in its core technology focus to “Nebula,” its large scale autonomous lab in Boston, which it said has doubled in size to 105 robotic racks. The company positioned the approach as a “Waymo style” model for biology, pairing high automation with the ability to use manual lab benches to capture the majority of research spending it said is currently done by hand.
For 2026, Ginkgo reaffirmed full year cash burn guidance of $125 million to $150 million. It added that revenue for the new automation segment will be lumpy, with hardware revenue recognized upon delivery and installation, followed by long term recurring revenue from SaaS licensing and maintenance.