A robotic microplate storage system includes a freezer room having freezing units and a first robot for moving and removing microplates into and out of the freezing unit. The first robot can also transfer microplates to a processing station, where the microplates are stored in a microplate recipient within the freezing unit. The storage system may also include at least one processing room which is thermally separated from the freezer room. Each processing room may include a processing station having a tube transfer module and a second robot for moving the microplates between the microplate recipients and the tube transfer module. The first robot may be designed such that it is only capable of removing a microplate recipient from and moving it into a freezing unit as well as transferring it from a freezing unit to a processing station or vice versa.