A Twenty-Five Year Journey
Every Step Counts
From a three-person team in Shenzhen to the domestic LIMS vendor with the largest market share in China. There were no shortcuts on this path — just lines of code, projects delivered, and countless late-night debugging sessions. This is the story of CNWAYLab, and the complete arc of China's laboratories moving from paper records to AI intelligence.
2002, Shenzhen
Three Engineers
One Belief
2002, the second year after China formally joined the WTO. At that time, laboratory information management in China was virtually a blank slate — most labs still relied on paper notebooks and Excel spreadsheets. Compliance requirements such as GMP, GLP, and CNAS were gradually being implemented, but mature LIMS products on the market all came from European and American vendors — expensive and poorly localized.
Three software engineers from Shenzhen saw this need. They believed Chinese laboratories deserved an informatics system that truly understood local business processes. In the spring of that year, Shenzhen CNWAY Information Technology Co., Ltd. was officially registered.
That same year, the first-generation product LIMS V1.0 was released, based on a C/S architecture. The first signed client was the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention — this landmark project earned the team invaluable industry insight and client trust.
Three Eras, One Throughline
The Information Age
2002–2011
From paper to digital. Completed three C/S architecture generations, expanding from CDC to food, environmental, and pharmaceutical sectors. Participated in developing China's public health information standards. Served over 50 laboratories cumulatively.
The Cloud & Intelligence Age
2012–2021
Partnered with the National Supercomputing Center to launch the SaaS cloud platform. Initiated CL X microservices architecture rebuild, advancing mobile internet applications. Client count surpassed 150, covering six major industry sectors.
The AI & Xinchuang Era
2022–Present
Completed full-stack Xinchuang adaptation for Huawei Kunpeng, Kylin OS, and Dameng Database. CL Copilot AI assistant officially launched, with LLM-powered "Lab Co-Pilot" ushering in a new paradigm of AI for Science.
25 Years of Milestones
Behind every year are countless days and nights of dedication from our team and the enduring trust of our clients.
Company Founded, LIMS V1.0 Released
Shenzhen CNWAY Information Technology Co., Ltd. officially registered. First-generation LIMS V1.0 launched the same year, using C/S architecture. First signed client: Shenzhen CDC — the first step for domestic LIMS from zero to one.
LIMS V1.5 Iteration, Expanding CDC Network
Building on the successful Shenzhen CDC implementation, the product quickly iterated to V1.5, adding core modules for report management and QC charts. Signed multiple prefectural-level CDCs across Guangdong province, establishing a foothold in public health.
Third-Generation LIMS Completed
A two-year architectural rebuild produced LIMS V3.0 with plug-in modular design. Invited the same year to participate in developing China's public health information standards — national recognition of the company's technical influence.
Cross-Industry Expansion Begins
Successfully entered food testing, pharmaceutical testing, cosmetics testing, textile testing, and agricultural product testing. Product line expanded from single-scenario CDC to a multi-industry universal platform. Client count surpassed 30.
50th Client Milestone
Signed laboratory count surpassed 50, covering South, East, and North China. Received National High-Tech Enterprise and Dual Software certifications — official endorsement of technical capability and product quality.
Partnered with National Supercomputing Center, SaaS Cloud Platform Launched
Formed strategic partnership with the National Supercomputing Center, launching the CNWAYLab SaaS Cloud Platform. Extended LIMS deployment from pure on-premises to cloud, dramatically lowering the barrier for small and mid-sized labs. Client count grew rapidly.
Mobile LIMS & IoT Integration
Released mobile LIMS applications supporting sample collection and approval workflows on tablets and phones. Introduced IoT technology for real-time lab environmental monitoring and instrument status alerts. Client count surpassed 100.
Cloud-Native Reinvention: CL X Platform Launched
Initiated microservices-based reconstruction of the CL X Platform, fully transitioning from monolithic architecture to cloud-native. Built on Kubernetes with elastic scaling and canary deployments. Advanced lab-centric mobile internet data applications, establishing the digital twin foundation.
Remote Lab Solutions Supporting Pandemic Response
During the COVID-19 pandemic, urgently launched remote laboratory collaboration solutions supporting real-time data sync, remote review, and digital report signing across multiple lab sites. Ensured uninterrupted operation for dozens of CDC and third-party testing labs.
Full Xinchuang Stack Certification, Complete Domestic Platform Adoption
Completed comprehensive adaptation and certification for Huawei Kunpeng processors, Kylin OS, and Dameng Database. Products officially included in the national Xinchuang key industry catalog as a preferred domestic alternative solution. Client count surpassed 180.
International Exploration, 200th Client
Began providing LIMS solutions for overseas Chinese-funded laboratories, covering Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Client laboratory count surpassed 200. Released CL X 4.0 with a low-code configuration engine and visual workflow designer.
CL Copilot AI Officially Released
The LLM-based laboratory intelligent assistant CL Copilot was officially launched, supporting natural language queries of experimental data, intelligent report summarization, automated anomaly detection and alerting, and real-time SOP compliance review — ushering in a new era of AI for Science.
The Starting Point for the Next 25 Years
CNWAYLab Summit 2026, the inaugural Lab Digital-Intelligence Summit, was successfully held. Launched Agent Lab — a next-generation lab workflow based on multi-agent collaboration. From informatization to digitalization, from digitalization to intelligence, we are still on the journey, and our pace has never slowed.
Six Generations of Product Evolution
From C/S to cloud-native, from databases to AI large language models — every architectural leap was driven by changing client needs.
C/S Architecture · Standalone Era
Delphi + SQL Server, Client/Server two-tier architecture. Enabled sample registration, test reporting, and basic queries — solving the first hurdle from paper to digital.
Plug-in Architecture · Modular Era
Introduced plug-in architecture supporting industry-specific module customization. Added QC charts, audit trail, and electronic signatures — laying the technical foundation for GMP/GLP compliance.
B/S + Cloud · Connected Era
Fully transitioned to Browser/Server architecture, deployed in partnership with the National Supercomputing Center. Multi-tenant isolation, elastic scaling — making enterprise-grade LIMS accessible to small and mid-sized labs.
Microservices · Cloud-Native Era
Kubernetes + Docker containerized deployment, Spring Cloud microservices architecture. Canary releases, auto-scaling, multi-site disaster recovery — delivering financial-grade reliability for large enterprise laboratories.
Xinchuang · Domestic Platform Era
Full-stack Xinchuang adaptation: Huawei Kunpeng + Kylin OS + Dameng DM8. Passed national security-controlled catalog certification, meeting critical information infrastructure domestic substitution requirements.
AI Native · Intelligence Era
LLM-powered CL Copilot deeply embedded throughout the full workflow. Natural language interaction, intelligent report generation, automated anomaly detection — giving every lab technician a personal AI assistant.
Key Achievements & Milestone Data
25 Years Is Only the Beginning
From Shenzhen to nationwide, from code to product, from tool to platform — every step CNWAYLab has taken was made possible by the trust of our clients and partners. Let's walk the next 25 years together.