AstraZeneca opened a new research and development center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of a more than $1 billion investment in the state and a broader $50 billion U.S. investment plan. The 570,000-square-foot, 18-story facility in Kendall Square will focus on cancer, chronic and rare diseases, and cell therapies. Together with the company’s nearby genomic medicine site, it will house nearly 2,000 researchers and scientists, while 10 laboratory floors will use robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. AstraZeneca expects the investment to increase its Massachusetts workforce by more than 50% in the coming years. The Cambridge center joins the company’s other major U.S. research center in Gaithersburg, Maryland. AstraZeneca has 24 research, manufacturing, commercial and corporate sites in the United States and employs more than 25,000 people there.