New Benchling Automation Closes the Loop Between Lab Instruments and AI

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May 28, 2026, 09:00 ET

Launching with HighRes, Automata, Ginkgo Bioworks, Celltrio, Opentrons, and Hamilton, Benchling Automation brings an open ecosystem approach to lab-in-the-loop

SAN FRANCISCO, May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Benchling today launched Benchling Automation, a hardware-agnostic system that connects lab instruments, automation systems, and scientific records into a single, continuously updated loop. Until now, that connection has required bespoke integrations for each instrument, custom code for proprietary data formats, and full rebuilds when a workflow changed. Benchling Automation removes that overhead with a system that works with existing instruments and integrates with Benchling or any ELN/LIMS platform.

Benchling Automation connects lab instruments, workcells, and data systems into a closed loop. It works with the instruments and lab automation already in your lab, and the data platforms you use today, whether that’s Benchling or a different ELN/LIMS.

As AI increases the need to test and validate faster, at scale, Benchling Automation makes closed-loop automation a reality. It's vendor agnostic and no custom engineering required.

Benchling is launching with partners that cover how scientists run experiments today: HighRes and Automata for workcell fleets; Ginkgo Bioworks for autonomous labs; Celltrio for automated cell culture; and Opentrons and Hamilton for automated liquid handlers. Standard integrations ensure workflows designed in Benchling execute natively on partner instruments. Teams are not locked into a single hardware vendor or automation stack.

How it works

When a scientist designs an experiment, Benchling Automation dispatches the run to a workcell or instrument, and delivers raw data and analyzed results back into the scientist's notebook entry. Analysis runs automatically. Results land in the scientific record, linked to the samples and experiments that generated them. See how this works with HighRes.

Teams can:

Pull data from 200+ instruments across file-based and API based systems (plate readers, liquid handlers, cell culture analyzers, qPCR systems) directly into Benchling, automatically linked to the samples and experiments that generated it.
Build, own, and modify the workflows that govern what happens when a run completes, without custom code or bespoke integrations. Design the logic once, and it runs every time. When the process changes, update the reusable template in place instead of re-engineering it.
Write Python directly in Benchling for advanced workflows. This unlocks highly flexible, lab-specific data transformations and analysis logic that would otherwise require external tooling or manual intervention, keeping the full workflow within Benchling and preserving data traceability end to end.
Land charts, curve fits, and statistical outputs inside the scientific record where the experiment lives, with every result traceable back to its source sample.

Benchling Automation also brings together Benchling Connect and Benchling Advanced Analytics under a single, expanded offering. New generally available capabilities include custom code, automation workflow design, and integrations with the launch partners above.

"Closed-loop labs are easy to demo but hard to run in production. The reason is almost always that the system assumes one vendor's hardware or one vendor's data stack, but real labs run instruments and software from a dozen different manufacturers," said Derek Halliday, Head of Product at Benchling. "Benchling Automation connects models, instruments, workcells, and software systems that scientists already have, which is what it takes for the loop to scale past a single team."

Benchling Automation is the latest in a series of launches building AI into R&D. That starts with infrastructure: Benchling Inference powered by Baseten brings GPU-scale compute for the bursty workloads biotech teams actually run, with built-in integrations for scientific models. Model Hub puts predictive models directly inside workflows with outputs connected to the R&D record. Direct ordering with Twist Bioscience, Adaptyv Bio, and Ginkgo Bioworks closes the execution loop, connecting experimental design to synthesis and fulfillment without manual handoffs. And Benchling AI ties it together, with AI that navigates data, generates reports, and handles complex scientific research without leaving Benchling.

Availability

Benchling Automation is available now. To learn more or request a demo, visit http://benchling.com/automation.

About Benchling

Benchling is the AI platform for biotech R&D, unifying scientific data and automating workflows to accelerate discovery and development. Trusted by more than 1,300 companies worldwide, from pioneering startups to global leaders like Merck, Moderna, and Sanofi, Benchling gives scientists a single place to capture, connect, and act on data across the entire R&D lifecycle. With Benchling AI, agents and models work directly inside scientific workflows, grounded in structured data. The result is faster teams, better molecules, and breakthroughs that reach the world sooner.

SOURCE Benchling