At AGBT, Roche disclosed pricing and performance details for its Axelios 1 sequencing platform, claiming a $150 cost for a 30× human genome and a $750,000 list price for the instrument. The company presented data on cancer genomics and multi‑omic applications to support the economics. Meanwhile, Ultima Genomics launched its UG200 series and Solaris 2.0 workflows promising higher throughput, faster run times and lower instrument pricing aimed at population‑scale and clinical genomics. The announcements underscore intensifying competition among next‑generation sequencing vendors as buyers weigh real‑world cost efficiency, throughput, and workflow integration. Both vendors framed their platforms as enabling expanded clinical and population sequencing programs, but actual lab deployments will determine comparative value.