Ultima Genomics launches paired-end sequencing and a $60 genome

Overview

Updated Yesterday

Ultima Genomics announced in 2022 that it could read a human genome for $100. On Nov. 9 it cut its own advertised price to $60, using paired-end sequencing and new Solaris 2.0 Max wafers that yield up to 20 billion reads each.

The throughput matters as much as the price. A single UG200 Ultra, which runs two wafers, can produce as many as 60,000 30x genomes a year. That puts a 100,000-person cohort at $6 million in consumables, though the $60 covers sequencing only: sample preparation, instruments and analysis sit outside it.

Why it matters

At $60 a genome, a 100,000-person study costs $6 million in sequencing, low enough to sequence cohorts that were previously priced out.

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Key Indicators

$60

Advertised cost per 30x human genome

Ultima's list price for consumables across four wafers; sample prep and analysis are not included.

20B

Reads per Solaris 2.0 Max wafer

Double the 10 billion reads of the earlier Solaris 2.0 workflow.

60,000

30x genomes per year on one UG200 Ultra

Company figure for a dual-wafer instrument running continuously.

$0.60

Cost per gigabase

Ultima's listed price per gigabase at the $60 genome.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Gilad Almogy

Founder and chief executive, Ultima Genomics

Leading the company through commercial rollout of paired-end sequencing

David Schlesinger

Chief executive and co-founder, Mendelics

Evaluating Ultima's paired-end chemistry for clinical germline testing

Ajamete Kaykas

Chief exploration officer, Insitro

Running large cellular screens on Ultima chemistry

Organizations Involved

Ultima Genomics

Sequencing technology company

Selling the UG200 series with paired-end chemistry and Solaris 2.0 Max consumables

A sequencing company competing on price per genome rather than read length or accuracy alone.

Mendelics

Clinical genetics laboratory

Early-access evaluator of Ultima paired-end chemistry

A clinical laboratory that tests whether inexpensive short-read chemistry is good enough for diagnostic germline sequencing.

Insitro

Drug discovery company

Using Ultima chemistry for high-volume cellular screens

A machine-learning drug discovery company that buys sequencing by the read rather than by the genome.

Timeline

2022 2027

7 events Latest: Yesterday

Tap a bar to jump to that date

2027
Smaller wafer configurations planned
Upcoming Roadmap

Ultima says 5 billion and 10 billion read wafers will arrive in early 2027.
2027
November 2026
Paired-end sequencing and Solaris 2.0 Max launch
Latest Product launch

Twenty billion reads per wafer and paired-end reads bring the advertised genome to $60.
Yesterday
October 2026
Singapore selects Ultima for precision medicine Phase III
Contract

The national program picks the platform for its third phase; contract value was not disclosed.
October 2026
February 2026
UG200 series announced
Product launch

New instrument generation; Solaris 2.0 Max and paired-end sequencing promised for later in 2026.
February 23rd, 2026
February 2025
UG 100 Solaris cuts price to $80
Product launch

Output rises to 10 to 12 billion reads per wafer and annual capacity passes 30,000 genomes.
February 2025
February 2024
UG 100 ships
Product launch

First commercial instrument: 6 to 8 billion reads per wafer, $100 genome, about 20,000 genomes a year.
February 2024
2022
Ultima announces a $100 genome
Product claim

The company pitches silicon-wafer sequencing at a fraction of prevailing per-genome prices.
2022

Scenarios

A clinical lab launches a germline test on Ultima chemistry

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Ultima and early-access partner Mendelics

Mendelics says it has found regions where paired-end reads beat other approaches, but it has not shipped a test. If the lab publishes validation data and puts a whole-genome germline test on its menu, the $60 consumable becomes a clinical product rather than a research price. Without that step, the discount stays confined to research cohorts.

Smaller wafers ship, opening the platform to mid-size labs

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Ultima's own product roadmap

Twenty billion reads per wafer only suits buyers running tens of thousands of samples. Ultima says 5 billion and 10 billion read configurations arrive in early 2027, which would let smaller labs buy capacity in units closer to their workload. A slipped date keeps the platform aimed at the largest programs only.

A national biobank signs with Ultima

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Trade press coverage of the Singapore selection

Ultima has one flagship public win, Singapore's national precision medicine program, and a supporting role in a Mayo Clinic and Thermo Fisher initiative. A second large national program in the United States or Europe would confirm that the price holds up in competitive procurement. The trigger is a disclosed contract, not a pilot.

A competitor answers with a sub-$100 list price

Uncertain Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Industry analysts covering sequencing pricing

Ultima's price only changes the market if rivals respond. A published per-genome consumables price at or below $100 from another short-read vendor would show the $60 claim has moved list prices across the industry. If competitors hold their prices, Ultima's advantage is real but its market stays narrow.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

January 2014

Illumina HiSeq X Ten (2014)

Illumina began selling a sequencing system only as a fleet of ten machines, aimed at buyers who needed thousands of genomes rather than dozens. The launch was tied to a $1,000 genome, a threshold that had been a target for years.

Then

Large genomics centers and the first national sequencing programs standardized on the fleet.

Now

Population biobanks became practical, and capacity planning replaced cost as the binding constraint for big studies.

Why this matters now

Ultima is making the same trade: a per-genome price low enough that buyers plan around throughput, sold as a machine built for cohorts rather than for individual labs.

2010-2013

Complete Genomics and BGI (2010-2013)

Complete Genomics sold human genome sequencing as a service at prices below what instrument-based labs charged, went public in 2010, and struggled to convert volume into profit.

Then

BGI acquired the company in 2013.

Now

BGI used the technology to build its own line of short-read sequencers, becoming the main alternative supplier to Illumina.

Why this matters now

Cheap sequencing on its own did not sustain a business. The buyer that won owned both the instruments and the analysis pipeline, which is the position Ultima is trying to reach.