World’s First Biological Computer Launched by Australian Startup

An Australian startup, Cortical Labs, has made headlines with the launch of CL1, the world’s first biological computer created from neurons grown from human stem cells. This innovative technology involves merging lab-grown cells with hard silicon to pioneer a novel form of artificial intelligence (AI) termed Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI).

The groundbreaking aspect of SBI lies in its potential to evolve, adapt, and learn at a faster pace compared to traditional AI systems based on silicon chips. Moreover, SBI boasts remarkable energy efficiency, with a 30-unit rack of CL1 consuming only 850–1,000 watts of power. To put this into perspective, training a large language model like GPT-3 on standard silicon chips typically consumes nearly 1,300 megawatt hours of electricity, equivalent to the annual usage of 130 US homes.

The journey towards developing CL1 spans six years of dedicated research at Cortical Labs, marked by significant milestones such as the 2022 breakthrough known as “DishBrain.” This prior achievement involved a system comprising 800,000 brain cells trained to play Pong, showcasing the cells’ capacity for goal-oriented behavior through stimulus, rewards, and feedback mechanisms.

Hon Weng Chong, the visionary behind Cortical Labs, envisions democratizing access to biological computing for researchers by eliminating the need for specialized hardware and software. The launch of CL1 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona signifies a pivotal moment for the startup, with plans to mass-produce and distribute CL1 units and racks by the year’s end.

Cortical Labs is not only offering state-of-the-art biological computers but also introducing Wetware-as-a-Service (WaaS) to enable remote access for building applications on these innovative platforms. The architecture of CL1 involves cultivating cells on a silicon chip equipped with pins for transmitting and receiving electrical impulses, establishing a seamless interface between the organic neural network and digital systems.

At the MWC event, a rack of CL1 computers will be showcased, demonstrating the practical applications of the world’s first biological computer beyond laboratory settings. Researchers from the University of Barcelona, collaborating with Cortical Labs, will explore the potential of CL1 in conducting long-term experiments with enhanced control over electrophysiological features of neurons.

The launch of CL1 by Cortical Labs marks a significant milestone in the realm of technological innovation, paving the way for a new era of computing driven by biological intelligence. This development not only highlights the transformative potential of SBI but also sets the stage for future advancements and applications in the field of AI and computational neuroscience.