Mark Zuckerberg says researchers at his charity have said 'No' to more space and employees, they want …

Mark Zuckerberg has shared an update on his charity organisation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). Researchers at the organisation that is run by Facebook founder and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are now prioritising computing power, specifically GPUs, over additional lab space and employees to advance their science and AI-focused mission. Speaking at "The a16Z Podcast", Chan, who is also a paediatrician, said: “We are not expanding a lot of square footage, per se, but we're expanding our compute," referring to CZI's investment in Biohub. Explaining the situation, Zuckerberg added: “The researchers, they don't want employees working for them, they don't want space, they just want GPUs.”

Priscilla Chan further explained the shift in research needs, saying, "In a sense, that's new lab space. It's much more expensive than wet lab space." The emphasis on computing resources reflects a changing landscape in modern research.

What Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan said about recruiting more people to CZI’s Biohub project

When asked whether they plan to hire more people at “the Biohub proper” or expand through a “network model” with additional sites, Zuckerberg said it will likely involve both approaches. He noted that CZI has added new biohubs and is building a central AI team.

Earlier this month, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan announced that CZI would shift its focus and place greater priority on its work with Biohub. On the same day, the couple's philanthropy organisation said that it is partnering with EvolutionaryScale to use AI in its efforts to address human diseases. CZI network has also appointed EvolutionaryScale's chief scientist, Alex Rives to head scientific work across the foundation. The group of research centres under the Biohub network will use AI to improve biological understanding, disease detection and genetic analysis.


According to Biohub, its compute capacity will increase to 10,000 GPUs by 2028. Priscilla Chan said during the episode that CZI currently operates a cluster with 1,000 GPUs and mentioned plans to reach “the 10,000 range.”

Previously, Chan noted that the philanthropy aims to attract bioresearchers by providing access to computing resources rather than offering salaries on par with Big Tech.

In 2015, when Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan founded CZI, the organisation focused on education, public policy and curing diseases. Over the past few years, it has shifted toward a science-centred mission. Recently, Zuckerberg said the organisation is now “going all in on AI-powered biology.”

This month, CZI even listed five AI-related job openings on its website, along with additional roles at Biohub, including a senior director of AI infrastructure and engineering.

Earlier this month, the CZI shifted its focus toward AI-driven scientific research, moving away from earlier education and community programmes that have been reduced as its mission narrows.

The discontinued community and education programs included a school for low-income students and various diversity and local development initiatives. This comes as CZI shifts toward a more narrowly defined mission and redirects its resources accordingly.