The prototype features 20 CL1 biological computing units in a single server rack.
Researchers in Singapore have just unveiled a new type of data center prototype that uses living human neurons to process information instead of relying entirely on silicon chips.
The project was launched by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine). To develop the prototype, the university teamed up with data center developer DayOne and biological computing startup Cortical Labs.
Established at the NUS Life Sciences Institute, the Biological Data Centre is made up of 20 CL1 biological computing units. The CL1 is the world’s first commercial, code-deployable biological computer. It is powered by 800,000 lab-grown human brain cells.
Rickie Patani, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience at NUS Medicine, pointed out that this is the world’s first independently operated biologically integrated server rack. “This partnership marks a genuine shift in how we think about computing and its broader scientific potential,” Rickie Patani, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience at NUS Medicine, said.