MGI Launches Smart Manufacturing and R&D Base in Wuhan's Optics Valley

VCBeat learned at the earliest opportunity that on the morning of October 26,MGI’s Intelligent Manufacturing and R&D Base Project Groundbreaking Ceremony Was Grandly Held in Wuhan Optics ValleyLocated on Shendun 2nd Road in the East Lake High-Tech Development Zone of Wuhan, the project involves an infrastructure investment of RMB 1.264 billion, with total estimated investment reaching RMB 2.4 billion. The planned total gross floor area is 86,000 square meters, and Phase I is expected to be completed and commence operations in 2022.

Site of the Groundbreaking Ceremony for MGI’s Intelligent Manufacturing and R&D Base Project

Wang Zhonglin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee; Zhou Xianwang, Deputy Secretary of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of the Wuhan Municipal People’s Government; Wang Xiangwang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the East Lake High-tech Development Zone, and other leaders attended the event. Participants included Wang Jian, Co-founder and Chairman of BGI Group; Liu Siqi, Co-founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BGI Group; Du Huixian, Director of the International Working Committee of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, Senior Counselor to the UN Secretariat, and Chair of the Independent International Advisory Panel of the Conference; and Mou Feng, CEO of MGI.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for MGI’s Intelligent Manufacturing and R&D Base Project

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Wang Zhonglin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee, announced the commencement of the project. Zhou Xianwang, Deputy Secretary of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Wuhan, and Wang Xiangwang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Working Committee of the East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, delivered speeches respectively.

Wang Jian, Co-founder and Chairman of BGI Group, expressed his gratitude for the strong support provided by the Wuhan Municipal Government and introduced the overall status of the project. He emphasized, “Wuhan is a city of heroes and has always shared an indissoluble bond with BGI. BGI was among the first institutions to establish a branch in Wuhan Optics Valley. Furthermore, BGI’s ‘Fire Eye’ laboratory, which provided robust scientific support for COVID-19 prevention and control, originated in Wuhan Optics Valley. Our daily nucleic acid testing capacity increased from an initial 10,000 samples to 30,000, then to 100,000, and currently reaches a maximum of 1 million samples per day. If we can perform one million COVID-19 tests, we can also conduct one million screenings for tumors and birth defects. The pandemic has brought us unprecedented challenges as well as opportunities. In this great era and in this heroic city, we are confident and fully capable of achieving this goal.”

Address by Wang Jian, Co-founder and Chairman of BGI Group

It is reported that MGI, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, currently employs over 1,600 people, with R&D personnel accounting for more than 32% of its workforce. Its business spans 50 countries and regions, making it one of only three companies worldwide capable of independently developing and mass-producing clinical high-throughput gene sequencers.Currently, MGI has eight major branches in Wuhan, Qingdao, Changchun, and Hong Kong in China, as well as in the United States, Latvia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.

MGI Product Model Showcase

MGI Intelligent Manufacturing and R&D Base Rendering

It is worth noting that Wuhan is currently a key domestic production base for MGI. With the commencement and construction of MGI’s intelligent manufacturing and R&D base, the company will continue to significantly increase its R&D investment. A series of projects will be established in Wuhan Optics Valley, including but not limited to: an intelligent production base for gene sequencers, a production base for reagents and chips supporting gene sequencers, and a research center for high-end intelligent equipment. These initiatives will further solidify Wuhan’s position as a major production and R&D hub for MGI.

Mou Feng, CEO of MGI, stated, “The life sciences and healthcare industry has always received high-level attention from the Wuhan Municipal Government. Leveraging this project, we aim to establish a world-class production and quality system in Wuhan to enhance our production and delivery capabilities. By integrating MGI’s R&D strengths across multiple locations, including Shenzhen, Qingdao, Changchun, and Silicon Valley in the United States, we will continue to innovate. We are committed to driving the interconnected development of life sciences—from scientific research to industrial application and public welfare—using domestically produced, autonomous, and controllable core tools, thereby accelerating the realization of our vision: ‘Innovative Intelligent Manufacturing Leading Life Science Technology.’”

In the future, as the project is implemented in Optics Valley, MGI will continuously push the boundaries of technology, maintain strategic investments in frontier basic research and key technologies, transform today’s investments into tomorrow’s core competitiveness, and provide an industry-leading life digitalization technology platform through continuous technological translation. By building an open industrial ecosystem based on cooperation and win-win outcomes, MGI aims to promote the widespread benefit of life sciences for public health and national welfare.