BGI Genomics taps AI to power healthcare transformation in Saudi Vision

China’s BGI Genomics has marked its 26th anniversary with the launch of a newly developed AI-powered health management platform for the strategic commitment to global healthcare transformation. The platform enhances diagnostic efficiency and enables proactive disease prevention, creating a new standard in precision medicine.

As Saudi Arabia commemorates its 95th National Day and advances its Vision 2030 agenda, health innovation are driving a nationwide shift toward data-driven, precision-based healthcare. BGI Genomics, with its growing presence in the Kingdom and expertise in genomics and multi-omics technologies, is helping bring these goals closer to reality.

Data-based AI Detection

BGI Genomics, a global leader in genomics and life sciences, marked its 26th corporate anniversary by unveiling "i99", a new AI-powered health management platform. The platform integrates genomic, epigenetic, microbiome, imaging, and lifestyle data to generate actionable insights for disease prevention and long-term health planning.

The company also offers GeneT Agent, a general-purpose AI agent in the field of genetic testing. It can intelligently decompose tasks and complete tasks within this domain. This enables workflows such as enhance consultation, bioinformatics analysis, quality control of variants, evidence retrieval, report generation and genetic counseling.

“In clinical evaluations conducted with leading hospitals, GeneT Agent demonstrated a 98% concordance rate with expert diagnoses and improved case analysis efficiency by more than 60%.” Zhu Shida, Vice President of BGI Genomics, shared in the anniversary conference.

Built on the company’s in-house multimodal genomic model GeneT, iGeneT Pro harnesses artificial intelligence to comprehensively empower bioinformatics analysis. It performs well in clinical interpretation (selection of pathogenic variants, quality control of variants, and ACMG classification), report generation, and genetic counselling. The platform enables users to create proprietary databases and apply them across the interpretation workflow. The visual statistical analyses of diverse data types can support scientific research better. iGeneT Pro is aiming to accelerate the adoption of AI in diagnostic support and health management, helping to translate cutting-edge technologies into clinical practice.

“Our AI-enhanced model is redefining diagnosis,” said Jace Sun, General Manager of BGI Genomics West Asia. “We’re integrating genomic data with medical data and physiological signals to deliver faster, smarter, more personalized healthcare.”

Building Genomic Infrastructure in Riyadh

As part of its strategic alignment with Saudi Arabia’s healthcare goals, BGI Genomics partnered with Tibbiyah Holding to launch Genalive in 2023—one of the region’s most advanced clinical genomics laboratories. Located in Riyadh, the 4,000 m² facility houses high-throughput sequencing platforms, AI-powered bioinformatics pipelines, and one of the largest healthcare data centers in the Middle East.

Artificial intelligence is embedded into Genalive’s operations, accelerating genomic data analysis and facilitating faster clinical decisions. The lab is designed to address pressing national health challenges, such as early detection of hereditary diseases, prenatal anomalies, and cancer predispositions.

“Genalive directly addresses key healthcare gaps in the Kingdom,” said Sun. “It enables localized, rapid access to advanced diagnostics, and it supports the development of national genomic expertise.”

Localised Precision Medicine

In a significant boost to local healthcare capacity, Genalive was awarded a three-year contract in 2025 by the National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO) under the Saudi Ministry of Health. The agreement covers the provision of more than 930,000 genetic testing services across 83 public hospitals.

Services under the contract include whole genome sequencing (WGS), whole exome sequencing (WES), non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), cytogenetics, and hereditary cancer screening—all now available at scale across the Kingdom. BGI Genomics has also committed to delivering not just diagnostics but also equipment, technical training, and ongoing support to build local talent.

The collaboration between Saudi Arabia and BGI Genomics began during the COVID-19 pandemic when the company helped establish Huo-Yan laboratories in the Kingdom. These labs processed over 18 million PCR tests, accounting for nearly half of the country’s testing volume and enabling large-scale public health responses, including support for major events such as Hajj.

Since then, the partnership has evolved into long-term cooperation. BGI Genomics now collaborates with institutions like King Saud University and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to foster research, education, and biotechnology innovation—key pillars of Vision 2030’s emphasis on scientific development and human capital.

Digitizing Healthcare

As global healthcare systems move toward data-driven models, technologies that offer both efficiency and measurable outcomes are becoming increasingly essential. According to JLL, the next phase of innovation in Saudi Arabia will focus on digital platforms, specialty diagnostics, fertility, oncology, mental health, and longevity programs—domains where AI and genomics will play a vital role.

“Saudi Arabia is leading the region in healthcare transformation,” said Sun. “At BGI Genomics, we see ourselves not just as a technology provider, but as a long-term partner, investor, and enabler of Vision 2030.”

From its role in pandemic response to securing the Kingdom’s largest genomics contract, BGI Genomics has emerged as a central figure in Saudi Arabia’s evolving healthcare landscape. Through strategic partnerships, technology deployment, and local capacity building, the company is helping lay the foundation for a more resilient, data-driven, and patient-centric healthcare system.

As Saudi Arabia marks another National Day, its health sector offers a glimpse into the future—where science, technology, and public ambition converge to shape a healthier society.

BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine. Our services cover more than 100 countries and regions, involving more than 2,300 medical institutions. In July 2017, as a subsidiary of BGI Group, BGI Genomics (300676.SZ) was officially listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.