The CL1 from Cortical Labs contains human cells grown in a laboratory. — Cortical Labs
At the Mobile World Congress 2025, held in Barcelona until March 6, the Australian start-up Cortical Labs is causing a stir with the CL1, billed as the world's first ever commercial biocomputer.
This computer features an innovative system with human neurons grown directly on a silicon chip, allowing direct interaction via electrical signals. The Australian startup Cortical Labs is behind this innovation, with the aim of exploiting the energy efficiency and learning capacity of neurons to develop a new generation of intelligent computer systems. This surprising computer is the first example.
Human stem cells were cultivated in a laboratory and placed on a silicon chip equipped with electrodes. The neurons then form interconnected networks that evolve and adapt continuously, as can happen in the human brain.
This combination of human brain cells and traditional electronic circuits is capable of adaptive learning, making it particularly suitable for the management of artificial intelligence, especially in the context of medical applications. This cutting-edge technology, which is aimed primarily at researchers and professionals in the fields of medicine, robotics and artificial intelligence, does, however, come at a price: namely US$35,000 (RM154,774).
With this innovation, Cortical Labs is paving the way for significant advances in many fields, but the idea of combining real human cells with a computer system is not new. For example, in 2023, researchers at Indiana University in Bloomington, US, succeeded in combining lab-grown human brain cells with an electronic circuit, making them "intelligent” and capable of processing information.
This type of experiment could lead to the development of new hybrid tools in the future – including computers and other devices – integrating human cells grown in a laboratory. – AFP Relaxnews
