Singapore Switches On Biological Computing Rack With Living Human Neurons

Singapore's National University of Singapore (NUS) has deployed a 20-unit biological computing rack utilizing living human neurons in collaboration with data centre operator DayOne and Melbourne-based Cortical Labs. The system, housed in a server rack at the National University of Singapore's Life Sciences Institute, went live on July 16 and was officially unveiled on August 17 following a demonstration on August 6. This marks the world's first independently operated biologically integrated server rack.

The CL1 computing units, which combine living human neurons with silicon hardware and a microelectrode interface, process information alongside conventional silicon hardware. The neurons grow across a chip, sending and receiving electrical impulses, while Cortical Labs' software creates a digital environment through which neural activity can interact with software.

The biological component requires daily life support, with NUS technicians feeding the cultures every three days and regulating the environment as the CL1 maintains it. Neurons can reportedly remain viable for up to six months.

NUS Medicine, DayOne, and Cortical Labs aim to explore various applications for this technology, including drug discovery, neurological disease research, and biological modeling. However, the project has not published an equivalent-workload benchmark comparing the CL1's useful computing performance with GPUs or other processors.

While lower energy use is a key advantage of biological computing, its practical benefits remain unproven. Singapore is actively expanding data centre capacity while tightening energy-efficiency requirements, with at least 200 MW of additional capacity set to be available, potentially supported by new green-energy pathways.