Illumina's Hiseq 2000 sequencing system can generate two billion paired-end reads and 200 gigabases (Gb) of quality filtered data in a single run.
The sequencer allows researchers to obtain 30-fold coverage of two human genomes in a single run.
Jay Flatley, president and chief executive officer of Illumina, said: 'The Hiseq 2000 delivers on the original vision of combining Illumina and Solexa's strengths in sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) chemistry.
'These innovations redefine the trajectory of sequencing and, for the first time, take the cost of sequencing a human genome below USD10,000 (GBP6,148),' he added.
The Hiseq 2000 is capable of generating 200Gb of data per run and 25Gb of data per day.
It uses two flow cells and an innovative dual-surface imaging method, enabling new levels of sequencing output as well as experimental flexibility.
Hiseq 2000 offers the most streamlined and intuitive single operator workflow; initiating a run requires less than 10 minutes of total hands-on time.
Pre-configured plug-and-play reagents, a touch-screen user interface and real-time and remote run monitoring result in simpler instrument operation.
Automation-friendly 96-sample parallel processing for library prep results in a significant reduction in hands-on time and overall cost.
Researchers can sequence two human genomes at 30-fold coverage for less than USD10,000 per genome.
Hiseq 2000 can be run in single or dual-flow cell mode and can simultaneously run applications that require different read lengths.
The high output, ease of use and cost effectiveness of the Hiseq 2000 have the potential to transform the way sequencing experiments are conceived and performed.
In particular, the system offers significant benefits for gene expression and epigenetic profiling compared with microarrays.
Using the Hiseq 2000 platform, researchers will be able to generate richer transcript profiles with cost and throughput comparable to microarrays.
In a single two-day run, researchers can perform gene-expression profiling on 200 samples for less than USD200 per sample, including library prep.
David Bentley, vice-president and chief scientist at Illumina, said: 'Hiseq will have a major impact on a broad range of applications, including advancing our understanding of cancer and other complex genetic diseases.
'We can now sequence two human genomes in a single run - for example, a tumour and a normal sample - at 30-fold coverage.
'The unprecedented output and cost-effective operation will make human-genome sequencing routine and allow researchers to easily compare entire genomes, transcriptomes and epigenomes,' he finished.
