World's First Commercial Biological Computer Uses 800,000 Lab-Grown Human Neurons to Process Data

Oct 19, 2025
Interesting Engineering
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Summary

Cortical Labs launches CL1, the world's first commercial biological computer that harnesses 800,000 lab-grown human neurons to process data with submillisecond response times, offering a $35,000 energy-efficient alternative to traditional computing for pharmaceutical, financial, and AI research applications.

Key Points

  • Cortical Labs releases CL1, the world's first commercial biological computer using 800,000 lab-grown human neurons reprogrammed from skin or blood samples to process information
  • The $35,000 CL1 system includes custom life support for neurons, consumes less energy than traditional data centers, and allows programming through a simple Python API with submillisecond response times
  • Early adopters across pharmaceuticals, finance, gaming, and AI research are using the technology for applications ranging from drug discovery and disease modeling to developing new forms of artificial intelligence

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