News Flash: Australia Unveils “Living Computer” — A Scientific Breakthrough by Cortical Labs
Australian startup Cortical Labs is shocking the world with its invention: the first “biological computer” — the CL1 — combining silicon chips with living human and rodent neurons, heralding a new era in computing. This system, called Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI), can learn, adapt, and restructure its neural pathways, just like a real brain.
Imagine: a machine playing Pong, rewarded for good moves and “punished” for mistakes — all based on organic cells!
The Unique
CL1 isn’t a concept — it’s a working device already demonstrating impressive abilities. As early as 2022, the team behind Cortical Labs made headlines when their prototype, DishBrain, learned Pong in just five minutes with 800,000 neurons, proving the rapid learning potential of biological systems.
Now, the technology is commercial-ready: neurons grown from stem cells are placed on an electrode array, forming flexible networks that process information naturally.
Chief Scientist Brett Kagan says: “We’re using biological neurons but assembling them in a new way — it’s an engineering approach to intelligence.”
What makes CL1 special? Energy efficiency: A rack of 30 CL1 units uses just 850–1000 watts — a drop in the ocean compared to the megawatts consumed by traditional AI on silicon.Self-learning: CL1 opens the door to breakthroughs in human-like AI, and drug testing for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or epilepsy. Instead of using animals, CL1 can simulate brain responses, speeding up drug development.
Prospects
Mass production is planned for late 2025, with preorders already open at $35,000 per unit. Cortical Labs also offers Wetware-as-a-Service (WaaS) — a cloud-based platform allowing researchers to rent computing time online.
“We want to give millions of scientists the chance to turn CL1’s potential into real discoveries,” says founder Hon Weng Chong. Still, the excitement comes with questions. The tech’s potential is massive, but ethical dilemmas are inevitable: where is the line between machine and living being? Could such a system develop something akin to consciousness?
For now, CL1 is not self-aware, but further progress may require clear rules. One thing is certain: Australia has taken a leap into a future where biology and technology merge into something entirely new. Are we ready for the age of living computers?
