It is not biotech, it is 'techbio'

Startup representatives researching biotechnology say they have transitioned from "biotech" to "techbio." While it sounds like a simple play on words, the shift highlights a critical reality for the industry: Biological research is now entirely dependent on heavy hardware. Biological data operates on an unprecedented scale. Analyzing biological tissue measuring just 2 centimeters by 2 centimeters generates data in the petabytes (PB), equivalent to one quadrillion bytes. Consuming 1 PB is equivalent to watching a 1-gigabyte high-definition movie continuously for 13 years, or filling 1,024 1-terabyte hard drives. The sheer volume creates a severe logistical problem; the CEO of one biotechnology startup has said that transferring several PB of data to a cloud center via the internet takes four days. For urgent international collaborations, researchers face a frustrating reality. They must physically pack storage drives into their luggage and board airplanes. In the digital age, this physical transport — often called a "sneakernet" — remains faster than internet transmission for the lif