UG200 series by Ultima Genomics: status and timeline

UG200 series

Bring the cost of sequencing a human genome down to about $100. At that price, genome sequencing becomes routine for population studies, cancer monitoring and everyday medicine.

DeployStage 4 of 5

UG200 and UG200 Ultra launched Feb 2026: 2x UG 100's output, half the runtime; shipping from Q2 2026.

Updated May 2022Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

No announced next step

Company founded2016Complete.
Emerge from stealth with $600M Series AMay 2022Complete.
UG 100 launch2023Complete.
UG200 series launched at AGBTFeb 2026Complete.

Most important updates

Ultima Genomics emerges from stealth with $600M Series A and announces the $100 genome with open-wafer sequencingMay 2022

Current obstacles

Competitive pressure from IlluminaIllumina has 95% market share, installed base, and integrated software. Requires sustained cost advantage.
Protocol validationLabs built on Illumina chemistry. Validating Ultima's sequencers for existing assays takes time; switching needs confidence.

Physics limits

Chemistry throughput ceilingSequencing chemistry—how fast nucleotides bind and fluoresce—sets the read speed. No amount of hardware ingenuity bypasses this biological limit; faster sequencing needs better chemistry.
Accuracy requires sufficient coverageAt very low costs, labs tend to sequence more genomes at lower depth, trading coverage for volume. Below a depth threshold, errors from PCR and chemistry become visible in the final call.

How it works

3 parts

Spinning wafer

Silicon disk replaces flow cell

DNA fragments bind to a flat wafer. As it spins, fixed cameras read while reagent dispensers deliver chemistry.

Isothermal amplification

Fast, simple chemistry

Avoids thermal cycling; cuts library prep time and simplifies hardware. Speeds sample-to-result time.

Service model

Direct and outsourced access

Operate in-house or send samples to certified service providers and in-house applications lab.

Spec sheet

vs UG 100

Spec	UG200 series	UG 100	Change
UG 100 output per wafer	2.4 TB^R (reported)	—	—no comparable change
UG 100 dual-wafer output	4.8 TB^R (reported)	—	—no comparable change
UG 100 cost per gigabase	$1.00^R (reported)	—	—no comparable change
UG 100 cost per million reads	$0.30^R (reported)	—	—no comparable change
30x genomes per year (UG200 Ultra)	Over 60,000^R (reported)	Up to 20,000	▲ 40,000
UG200 Ultra list price	$1.25M^R (reported)	—	—no comparable change

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

May 2022

Major: Ultima Genomics emerges from stealth with $600M Series A and announces the $100 genome with open-wafer sequencingPressFunding

About Ultima Genomics

The team behind UG200 series

Ultima Genomics

Low-cost genome sequencing, open-wafer chemistry

Ultima Genomics develops high-throughput DNA sequencing platforms designed to enable the $100 genome. Founded by Gilad Almogy, the company uses open silicon wafers instead of flow cells, spinning the disk like a hard drive to dispense reagents while cameras read the data.

Ultima uses open silicon wafers and isothermal amplification, delivering sequencing at $1/Gb and $0.30 per million reads.
The UG 100 machine can sequence up to 20,000 human genomes per year, producing 2.4 terabases per wafer.
Series A: $600M in May 2022 from General Atlantic, Andreessen Horowitz, D1 Capital, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed.

ultimagenomics.com (opens ultimagenomics.com)Company profile →

Founded: 201610 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: $5Best. privateMay 2022estimate
Staff: ~350Jan 2024
Raised: $600M1 round
Last round: Series A · $600MMay 2022
Works in: BiotechGenomics & sequencing
Coverage: 1 program · 1 updatelatest 1 May 2022checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: General AtlanticAndreessen HorowitzD1 Capital
People: Gilad Almogy (opens linkedin.com)CEO & Founder

Spec

UG200 series

UG 100

Change

UG 100 output per wafer

2.4 TB^R (reported)

—

—no comparable change

UG 100 dual-wafer output

4.8 TB^R (reported)

—

—no comparable change

UG 100 cost per gigabase

$1.00^R (reported)

—

—no comparable change

UG 100 cost per million reads

$0.30^R (reported)

—

—no comparable change

30x genomes per year (UG200 Ultra)

Over 60,000^R (reported)

Up to 20,000

▲ 40,000

UG200 Ultra list price

$1.25M^R (reported)

—

—no comparable change