🇸🇬 In Singapore, a server with human neurons was launched

In Singapore, a cluster of 20 CL1 biocomputers was built. In it, around 16 million living human neurons are working, which were grown from induced pluripotent stem cells. The neurons are arranged on electrode arrays. The system sends signals to the neurons, reads their responses, and uses the feedback for learning. The developers see such an architecture as suitable for tasks in AI, robotics and drug research.

The biggest advantage is the low energy consumption. The entire complex requires about 0.85 to 1 kW, while modern high-performance GPU racks can consume more than 100 kW. There is no direct comparison of their performance yet, but the difference in energy efficiency shows why it is worth experimenting with living neurons in the first place. However, there is also a serious downside: neuron cultures live for only about six months, after which they must be replaced.

At the moment, all of this sounds like the start of a bleak dystopia: today it’s a few million neurons in a lab rack, and tomorrow the idea of an entire “farm” is already taking shape—where people lie in capsules with electrodes on their heads and work as part of a computing system. Of course, this is still a very long way off, but the development of biocomputers inevitably makes one think of exactly such scenarios.

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