ChemLex, an AI-for-science firm focused on accelerating chemical discovery for the pharmaceutical industry, has established its global headquarters and a self-driving laboratory in Singapore, following the closure of a $45 million funding round led by Granite Asia.
Founded in 2022, ChemLex develops AI and automation technologies that shorten the time required to discover and optimise new chemicals for drug development.
The company reports that it now serves more than 70 customers worldwide, including six of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies, as drugmakers increasingly seek ways to speed early-stage research and development while reducing the cost of experimentation.
“We’re building an R&D engine that compresses months of synthesis and optimisation into weeks or even days, transforming both the speed and certainty of discovery. Singapore strengthens this effort and provides us an ecosystem to scale rapidly and support partners globally who need this capability now,” Sean Lin, Founder and CEO of ChemLex.
What You Should Know
The startup says the $45 million capital injection will enable it to hire across hardware engineering, software engineering, and chemistry in Singapore, expanding capacity to support a broader pipeline of pharmaceutical and materials science projects.
The company cited industry forecasts projecting rapid growth for AI-enabled drug discovery over the next decade, as investment and adoption increase across the biopharmaceutical sector.
Central to ChemLex’s platform is a 24/7 autonomous chemistry system, capable of running experiments continuously, capturing data in real time, and automating synthesis and iteration that typically slow conventional lab workflows.
The company describes a fully automated synthesis line powered by AI as the core of its system, designed to make chemical discovery both more cost-efficient and sustainable than traditional methods.
Strategic Partnership with Singapore’s EDDC
In tandem with the headquarters and lab launch, ChemLex signed a memorandum of understanding with the Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC), Singapore’s national platform for drug discovery and development.
According to ChemLex, the collaboration will focus on advancing next-generation small molecule drug discovery through automation, pairing ChemLex’s AI-driven platform with EDDC’s drug development capabilities.
Regionally, Singapore has emerged as a key hub for life sciences and deep‑tech innovation, bolstered by sustained public and private investment in infrastructure, talent development, and research facilities.
The nation’s forward‑looking policies have attracted multinational pharmaceutical companies and AI research firms alike, contributing to a robust ecosystem that supports both start‑ups and established enterprises.
What This Means
The global AI‑enabled drug discovery market has been experiencing rapid expansion, driven by significant increases in venture capital investment and broader adoption across the biopharmaceutical sector.
ChemLex’s expansion aligns with Singapore’s broader strategy to strengthen deep tech and life sciences, leveraging support from the Singapore Economic Development Board and the city-state’s growing ecosystem of research, infrastructure, and innovation partners.
As global competition intensifies for talent and technological leadership in the life sciences, analysts say Singapore’s strategic positioning provides an advantage for ChemLex to scale advanced discovery platforms and engage with international partners.
By combining autonomous chemistry, AI-driven optimisation, and strategic collaboration, experts say ChemLex aims to transform early-stage pharmaceutical R&D, offering faster, more predictable, and sustainable chemical discovery for partners worldwide.
Talking Points
It is significant that ChemLex has established its global headquarters and a self-driving laboratory in Singapore, alongside closing a $45 million funding round led by Granite Asia. This move highlights the growing role of AI and automation in accelerating chemical discovery for the pharmaceutical industry.
At Techparley, we see how ChemLex’s autonomous chemistry platform can transform early-stage R&D. By running experiments continuously and capturing real-time data, the system addresses one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: the slow, costly, and iterative nature of traditional laboratory workflows.
The platform’s AI-driven synthesis line positions ChemLex to deliver faster, more predictable, and sustainable chemical discovery for partners worldwide.
The expansion into Singapore also demonstrates the strategic value of leveraging regional ecosystems. By partnering with the Experimental Drug Development Centre and tapping into the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board, ChemLex is well-placed to scale its technology globally.
As it grows, there is a clear opportunity to collaborate with multinational pharmaceutical firms and materials science companies, accelerating adoption and unlocking new efficiencies in drug discovery.
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