Parabricks

What Parabricks does

Parabricks develops GPU-accelerated genomics software that performs secondary analysis of next-generation sequencing data, replacing CPU-based implementations of standard bioinformatics tools with parallelized versions that run on NVIDIA hardware. The platform delivers GPU-optimized implementations of the three dominant secondary analysis components — BWA-MEM for sequence alignment, GATK for variant calling, and Google's DeepVariant for deep-learning-based variant calling — and ships a broader suite of 23 accelerated tools organized into six pre-configured pipelines for whole-genome and exome sequencing. The company claims over 100x faster whole-genome sequencing analysis with 50% lower compute cost relative to traditional CPU-based workflows.

The platform is sold primarily to academic research centers, hospitals, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and population-genomics initiatives, with documented use cases spanning cancer and rare-disease research, rapid NICU diagnosis, and large-scale biobank analysis. Distribution and commercialization now run through NVIDIA's enterprise sales channels and developer portal under the NVIDIA Clara Parabricks brand, following Parabricks' acquisition by NVIDIA. Earlier-stage non-dilutive capital came from National Science Foundation SBIR awards totaling approximately $1.37M across 2016 and 2018, along with an early investment from the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund.

The business model is enterprise software licensing bundled into NVIDIA's healthcare and life sciences portfolio, with downloads and trial access available through NVIDIA's developer portal. Specific pricing, contract terms, and stand-alone revenue are not publicly disclosed, and Parabricks does not report as a separate entity post-acquisition.

Name

Parabricks

Website

https://parabricks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Parabricks provides GPU-accelerated genomics software for secondary analysis, reimplementing BWA-MEM, GATK, and DeepVariant on NVIDIA hardware. Now operating as NVIDIA Clara Parabricks, it serves research institutions, hospitals, clinical labs, and pharmaceutical companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genomics Bioinformatics Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Bioinformatics & Multi-omics Analysis Software (HLAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bioinformatics, Multi-Omics Data Analysis & Interpretation Services (HLAGANAI), Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays) (HLAGAIAF)

Keywords

• GPU-accelerated genomics
• Bioinformatics software
• Variant calling
• Genome sequencing analysis
• Secondary analysis pipelines

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. GPU-Accelerated Genomics Software Licensing: Parabricks is distributed as part of NVIDIA's healthcare and life sciences software portfolio, likely through enterprise licensing arrangements for genomic research institutions, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Parabricks provides GPU-accelerated genomics software for the secondary analysis of sequencing data, delivering optimized CUDA implementations of industry-standard bioinformatics tools (BWA-MEM, GATK, DeepVariant) packaged into 23 accelerated tools and six pre-configured pipelines for whole-genome and exome sequencing workflows. The product enables analysis of a whole human genome in under an hour, compared to days on traditional CPU infrastructure, at roughly 50% lower compute cost.

Product overview

NVIDIA Parabricks is a single, unified genomics software platform that provides GPU-accelerated implementations of industry-standard bioinformatics tools including BWA-MEM (sequence alignment), GATK (variant calling), and DeepVariant (deep learning variant caller). The platform offers 23 accelerated tools organized into six pre-configured pipelines for whole-genome and exome sequencing workflows. Parabricks operates as a standalone product within NVIDIA's Clara healthcare division, delivering over 100x speed improvement for whole-genome sequencing analysis while reducing compute costs by 50 percent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NVIDIA Parabricks

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100x faster whole-genome sequencing analysis compared to CPU-based methods
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NVIDIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParabricks was acquired by NVIDIA and integrated into NVIDIA's healthcare and life sciences platform. The technology is now part of NVIDIA Clara Parabricks, combining GPU-accelerated genomic analysis with NVIDIA's broader AI and computing infrastructure for healthcare applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Strand Life Sciences: Strand Life Sciences provides bioinformatics and clinical genomics interpretation platforms, with comparable workflows for variant calling and clinical reporting, primarily serving the Indian and emerging markets.

Emerging players

• Lifebit: Lifebit offers a federated genomics data and analytics platform for clinical and pharmaceutical customers, with overlapping use cases in population genomics and clinical interpretation.
• Form Bio (subsidiary of Colossal Biosciences): Form Bio offers a cloud-based bioinformatics platform with pre-configured pipelines for genomic analysis, competing in adjacent developer and clinical research segments.
• BC Platforms: BC Platforms provides genomic data management and analytics infrastructure for precision medicine and biobanking, competing for similar enterprise genomics analysis workloads.

Direct peers

• Edico Genome (now part of Illumina): Edico Genome developed DRAGEN, the FPGA-accelerated genomics analysis platform acquired by Illumina — a direct competitor to Parabricks' GPU-accelerated secondary analysis offering.
• Sentieon: Sentieon offers highly optimized secondary analysis pipelines (DNAscope, TNscope) for accurate and fast variant calling, directly competing with Parabricks' GPU-accelerated GATK and DeepVariant implementations.
• Illumina DRAGEN: Illumina's DRAGEN platform provides hardware-accelerated (FPGA) secondary analysis for genomic sequencing, directly competing with Parabricks on speed, accuracy, and cost for clinical and research sequencing workflows.
• Google DeepVariant: Google's open-source DeepVariant uses deep learning for variant calling — one of the core tools Parabricks accelerates. DeepVariant represents the primary open-source benchmark Parabricks is measured against.

Broad incumbents

• Velsera (formerly Seven Bridges): Velsera offers a genomics informatics platform with secondary and tertiary analysis pipelines, serving pharma, clinical, and research customers in a similar segment to Parabricks.
• DNAnexus: DNAnexus provides a cloud-based genomics data analysis and collaboration platform used by large clinical and research institutions, overlapping with Parabricks on enterprise genomic workflow deployment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/parabricks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parabricks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Parabricks