Top News

These data centers are powered by human brain cells!
10 Mar 2026

Australia-based biotech start-up Cortical Labs is developing a new kind of data center, powered not by traditional silicon chips but by human brain cells.

The company has unveiled its first biological data center in Melbourne and is working on a second one in Singapore with DayOne Data Centers Ltd.

Instead of conventional servers, these facilities will host biological computers called CL1 units, which are powered by lab-grown neurons.

Addressing energy and resource challenges
Solution

The development of AI data centers has raised concerns over their energy consumption and water usage, as well as silicon shortages.

The tech from Cortical Labs could provide a solution to these problems.

While the computing power of its systems is still limited, the company has made strides in teaching its brain cells to play simple games like Pong and more complex ones like Doom.

How do biological computers work?
Mechanism

Cortical Labs's neurons, which are grown from stem cells, sit on a chip that sends and receives electrical signals to the cells and records their responses.

This way, the company's software can interact with these neurons and interpret their responses as computing output.

The tech offers a unique way to tap into the brain's ability to store and process information while using very little energy.

Significant reduction in energy consumption
Efficiency

Cortical Labs's biological computers consume just a fraction of the power used by conventional AI processors.

The company's founder and CEO Hon Weng Chong said each CL1 unit uses less power than a handheld calculator.

The Melbourne facility will host 120 CL1 units, while the Singapore facility will deploy up to 1,000 units in phases.