Forget silicon chip servers, Singapore’s newest data centre needs to be fed
Silicon isn't the only thing processing data in Singapore anymore.
Singapore's National University of Singapore (NUS) has unveiled a unique data centre housed inside its Centre for Life Sciences. This facility processes data using living human brain cells, as opposed to traditional server farms running on silicon chips. Located inside NUS, the data centre is a partnership between Cortical Labs, a biotech startup, NUS, and data centre operator DayOne.
The concept was first introduced in Melbourne, Australia, and has now been commercialized in Singapore. The setup was officially launched on July 16, with plans to expand to 1,000 units if approved. Each unit, known as a CL1, houses over 200,000 lab-grown brain neurons connected to an electrode-fitted silicon chip. These neurons exchange electrical signals with a computer, translating their neural activities into computing power.
Unlike traditional data centres, this biological setup consumes less energy, generates minimal heat, and requires no cooling systems. Each CL1 uses only 30 watts, less than a handheld calculator, while a high-end AI chip can consume up to 700 watts. The low energy demands and adaptability make this biological data centre ideal for applications with limited datasets or unpredictable conditions, such as humanoid robots in changing environments.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
