Metagenomi Uses Amazon’s AI Chips to Power Next-Gen Gene Editing

Biotech company Metagenomi (MGX.O) has begun using Amazon Web Services’ custom AI chips to accelerate the discovery of new gene-editing technologies, marking one of the first major biotech applications of Amazon’s in-house silicon beyond large language models and chatbots.

The Emeryville, California-based firm, which is developing tools to deliver gene therapies directly into human cells, said AWS Inferentia chips have given it a major cost advantage over Nvidia’s AI hardware, cutting computational expenses by about half while maintaining comparable performance.

Metagenomi’s approach relies heavily on artificial intelligence to design and test enzymes capable of safely editing DNA. The company scans nature for rare proteins that might serve as effective delivery vehicles for genetic material and then uses AI to generate millions of variants in search of the most effective designs.

“We generated over a million different proteins from a rare class of enzymes used in gene editing,” said Chris Brown, Metagenomi’s head of discovery. “It was a clear cost advantage to use the Inferentia platform. Unless you cast a broad enough net early, you risk missing key breakthroughs entirely.”

Amazon’s Inferentia chips, first introduced in 2019 to enhance the AI capabilities of its Alexa virtual assistant, are now being used by other industries beyond software — with biotechnology emerging as a new frontier for AI-driven hardware.

By applying cloud-based AI to the complex problem of gene delivery and editing, Metagenomi hopes to make treatments for genetic disorders faster and more affordable, while demonstrating how custom AI infrastructure can accelerate scientific discovery.