Biological Computing: Cortical Labs Pioneers ‘Wetware’ Data Centers

Melbourne, Australia-based Cortical Labs is pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence with a novel approach: biological computing. The startup has unveiled a prototype biological data center utilizing “wetware”—lab-cultivated neurons grown on traditional silicon chips—promising a dramatically more energy-efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional computing systems. This development marks a significant step towards Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI) and a potential paradigm shift in how we process information.

The Rise of ‘Wetware’ and Biological Intelligence

Cortical Labs’ technology centers around integrating living neurons with silicon chips. These neurons, cultivated from human stem cells, form neural networks that can “learn and adapt in ways conventional computing struggles to replicate,” according to the company Data Center Dynamics. The resulting system, dubbed Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI), operates through a Biological Intelligence Operating System (biOS) that sends information to the neurons and interprets their responses.

The CL1 system, launched in March 2025, is a key component of this innovation. It consumes a mere 30W of power, a stark contrast to the 600W often required by traditional silicon GPUs Data Center Dynamics. This reduction in energy consumption directly translates to lower electricity and cooling demands, addressing a growing concern in the AI industry.

From Pong to DOOM: Demonstrating Neural Network Capabilities

Cortical Labs has demonstrated the learning capabilities of its biological computers through increasingly complex tasks. Initially, in 2021, lab-grown neurons were taught to play Pong Cortical Labs. More recently, a cluster of 200,000 lab-grown human neurons was successfully trained to play the original DOOM TweakTown. This achievement required converting the game’s visual signals into electrical impulses that the neurons could interpret and respond to.

To facilitate broader access to this technology, Cortical Labs has created the Cortical Cloud, a neural computing system allowing users to deploy code directly to the neurons via a Python API TweakTown.

Investment and Future Implications

Founded in Melbourne in 2019, Cortical Labs has secured $11 million in funding from investors including Horizons Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, LifeX Ventures, Radar Ventures, and the CIA’s In-Q-Tel Data Center Dynamics. The CL1, an upgraded version of the earlier DishBrain system (which contained 800,000 human and mouse neurons), is currently available for purchase.

“AI capacity is accelerating faster than most people realise, and everyone is talking about chips, models and megawatts,” said Hon Weng Chong, MD, founder and CEO, Cortical Labs Data Center Dynamics. “But far fewer are talking about the environmental and resource hazards that sit underneath this growth: the power constraints, the water trade-offs, and the sustainability risk if we simply build more of the same. The bio data center is our proof-of-concept that there’s another path.”

Cortical Labs’ work represents a significant step towards a more sustainable and efficient future for AI, potentially revolutionizing fields like healthcare and personalized medicine by solving profound problems with biocomputing’s energy efficiency Cortical Labs.