Abstergo Industries is the fictional research company that employs Desmond Miles in the original Assassin's Creed.
At the beginning of the game, Abstergo abducts Desmond and places him in the Animus, a machine that lets him experience genetic memories inherited from his ancestor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. The company presents the procedure as scientific research, but its leadership is secretly tied to the modern Templar Order.
Abstergo's public identity is that of a large multinational corporation. Across the series, it operates research programs, pharmaceutical and technology businesses, and entertainment products. Its corporate structure allows the modern Templars to pursue ancient artifacts and manipulate historical knowledge while appearing to function as an ordinary company.
Abstergo is not the same thing as the Animus. The Animus is the memory-exploration technology, while Abstergo is the organization using it. Desmond's employer and captor also changes in later installments, but Abstergo remains the franchise's principal modern Templar institution.