Singapore unveils world-first biological data centre with 16 million living human neurons

Cortical Labs founder and CEO Hon Weng Chong at the Cortical Cloud biological data centre at NUS (Image: The Straits Times).. Singapore has unveiled a world-first biological data centre prototype that brings living human neurons into a server-rack environment, marking an unusual new step in the race to build more efficient and adaptive computing systems. Developed through a partnership between the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), data-centre operator DayOne and biological computing company Cortical Labs, the prototype consists of 20 CL1 biological computing units. Each CL1 uses a network of lab-grown human neurons integrated with silicon hardware, meaning the 20-unit system is estimated to involve roughly 16 million neurons based on the reported figure of about 800,000 neurons per unit. The system was demonstrated at NUS on August 6 and is being positioned as a potential new approach to AI and computing.16 million living neurons enter the world of computingThe Biological Data Centre prototype has been established at the NUS Life Sciences Institute as part of an effort to move biological computing from laboratory experiments tow...