Australian startup Cortical Labs has unveiled the CL1, a groundbreaking biological computing system that fuses approximately 800,000 lab-grown human neurons with silicon hardware, enabling users to execute code through living neural networks.
The CL1 is available for purchase at $35,000 per unit, but for those without the budget or lab facilities, Cortical Labs offers a cloud-based “Wetware-as-a-Service” model, granting remote access to the system for just $300 per week. This democratizes access to biological computing, allowing researchers and innovators to experiment with real neurons without specialized infrastructure.
The neurons, cultivated from stem cells, are kept alive for up to six months by an integrated life-support system that delivers nutrients, regulates temperature, and manages waste. These neurons form dynamic networks on a silicon chip, communicating via sub-millisecond electrical signals. According to Cortical Labs, this enables the CL1 to process inputs and generate outputs near-instantaneously, offering a novel platform for studying brain-like computation.
Compared to traditional AI hardware, the CL1 is remarkably energy-efficient, with a 30-unit server rack consuming just 850 – 1,000 watts — far less than the power-hungry data centers running large language models. Its applications span drug discovery, AI testing, and disease modeling, with demonstrated success in restoring learning function in neural cultures simulating epilepsy.
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By offering remote access at an affordable rate, Cortical Labs is opening up synthetic biological intelligence to a global audience, potentially revolutionizing neuroscience and biotechnology research.
However, the use of human neurons raises ethical questions about sentience and consciousness, which the company addresses by emphasizing regulatory compliance and the neurons’ lack of awareness. For $300 a week, you can now tap into the power of a “brain in a box” — a fusion of biology and silicon poised to reshape computing.
