Australian company Cortical Labs launched the world’s first commercial biological computer made from human brain cells fused with silicon hardware.
As reported in New Atlas, the CL1 uses 800,000 lab-grown human neurons on electrode arrays to create dynamic neural networks that learn and adapt more quickly than traditional AI while using far less power. A full rack of CL1 units consumes only 850-1,000 watts, a fraction of what traditional AI requires.
Cortical Labs said in their launch statement, “Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI) is inherently more natural than AI, as it utilizes the same biological material – neurons – that underpin intelligence in living organisms.”
Each unit houses living brain tissue in what the team describes as a “body in a box … it has pumps to keep everything circulating, gas mixing, and of course temperature control,”explains Chief Scientific Officer Brett Kagan.
The system can be purchased for US$35,000 or accessed remotely through cloud-based “Wetware-as-a-Service.” Potential applications include drug discovery and robotic intelligence development.
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