Executive Magazine examines the groundbreaking fusion of neural cells with silicon that promises to transform multiple industries while raising profound questions about the future of intelligence
The dawn of synthetic biological intelligence
The technological landscape underwent a seismic shift on 2 March 2025 when Melbourne-based Cortical Labs commercially launched the CL1 system—the world’s first deployable biological computer. This remarkable achievement represents the culmination of nearly six years of research and development, transforming what was once considered science fiction into tangible reality.
The CL1 system distinguishes itself through its unique fusion of human neural cells with silicon hardware. Unlike conventional artificial intelligence systems that rely solely on algorithms and digital processing, this Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI) platform utilises actual human neurons cultivated from induced pluripotent stem cells. These cells form dynamic neural networks atop electrode arrays, creating an entirely new approach to computing intelligence.
Dr Hon Weng Chong, founder and CEO of Cortical Labs, described the launch as “the culmination of a vision that has powered Cortical Labs for almost six years.” The company first gained international recognition in 2022 when they demonstrated a prototype called DishBrain that could play the video game Pong through neural adaptation. However, the CL1 represents a quantum leap beyond those initial experiments, offering a stable, programmable platform with far-reaching applications.
The technological foundation
The CL1 system operates on fundamentally different principles than traditional computing hardware. At its core lies a planar electrode array—described by Chief Scientific Officer Brett Kagan as “basically just metal and glass”—featuring 59 electrodes that interface directly with lab-grown human neurons.
These neurons are housed within a rectangular life-support unit that maintains their viability through sophisticated environmental controls. The perfusion circuit component functions as a life support system with filtration for waste products, temperature regulation, gas mixing, and circulation pumps—all essential for sustaining the biological component of this hybrid technology.
Unlike its predecessor, the CL1 addresses previous limitations through improved charge balancing. “With these versions, they’re a much simpler technology, but that means they’re much more stable and you’re much more able to actively balance that charge,” Kagan explained. “When you put in two microamps of current, you can draw out 2 microamps of current. And you can keep it more stable for longer.”
The system operates independently without requiring an external computer, providing bi-directional stimulation and read interface capabilities tailored for neural communication and network learning. These features enable the neural networks to forge autonomous, efficient information-exchange pathways in response to electrophysiological stimulation.
Access and deployment models
Cortical Labs has adopted an innovative approach to making this technology accessible through what they term “Wetware-as-a-Service” (WaaS). This model allows researchers and organisations to either purchase CL1 units outright or access them remotely through cloud-based systems.
“This platform will enable the millions of researchers, innovators and big-thinkers around the world to turn the CL1’s potential into tangible, real-world impact. We’ll provide the platform and support for them to invest in R&D and drive new breakthroughs and research,” Dr Chong stated.
The company plans to establish server stacks housing 30 individual CL1 units, with four such stacks expected to be available for commercial use through cloud systems before the end of the year. Individual units are projected to retail for approximately US$35,000—significantly lower than comparable technologies currently priced around US$85,000.
Power efficiency represents another substantial advantage, with an entire rack of CL1 units consuming only 850-1,000 watts of energy. This remarkable efficiency, combined with full programmability, positions the technology as both economically and environmentally advantageous compared to traditional computing solutions for specific applications.
Transforming medical research
Perhaps the most immediate and promising application for the CL1 system lies in pharmaceutical research and disease modelling. Traditional drug development faces significant challenges when addressing neurological and psychiatric conditions, with most candidates failing during clinical trials.
“The large majority of drugs for neurological and psychiatric diseases that enter clinical trial testing fail, because there’s so much more nuance when the brain is involved—but you can actually see that nuance when you test with these tools,” Kagan explained. The CL1 offers researchers unprecedented capabilities to observe neural behaviour in response to potential treatments for conditions such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.
The technology could potentially reduce reliance on animal testing in certain contexts. “Our hope is that we’re able to replace significant areas of animal testing with this. Animal testing is unfortunately still necessary, but there are many cases where it can be replaced and that’s an ethically good thing,” Kagan added.
The SBI platform provides advantages over conventional computing models for drug discovery through its ability to capture subtle neural responses that might otherwise go undetected. This capability could dramatically accelerate treatment development while simultaneously reducing costs and ethical concerns associated with traditional testing methods.
Ethical considerations and regulatory frameworks
The emergence of SBI technology inevitably raises profound ethical questions regarding consciousness, sentience, and the boundaries between biological and artificial intelligence. Cortical Labs has emphasised their commitment to responsible development, acknowledging the importance of appropriate guardrails.
“There are numerous regulatory approvals required, based on location and specific use cases,” the company noted in their launch statement. “Regulatory bodies may include health agencies, bioethics committees, and governmental organisations overseeing biotechnology or medical devices. Compliance with these regulations is essential to ensure responsible and ethical use of biological computing technologies.”
The technology occupies a unique position that challenges traditional categorisation. “The difficulty I keep hearing [from investors] is that we don’t fit into a box,” Kagan noted. “We’re not quite AI, we’re not quite medicine—we can do both AI and medicine, but we’re neither. So we often get excluded.”
This categorical ambiguity highlights the need for nuanced regulatory approaches that can address the distinctive characteristics and potential implications of SBI technology. As these systems evolve in complexity and capability, the regulatory landscape will need to adapt accordingly.
The pursuit of the minimal viable brain
Beyond the immediate commercial applications of the CL1, Cortical Labs remains focused on ambitious research objectives—particularly what they term the “Minimal Viable Brain” (MVB). This concept explores the fundamental question of how to bioengineer a human-like neural network with optimal efficiency and functionality.
“It would basically be the key biological components that allow something to process information in a dynamic and responsive way, according to underlying principles,” Kagan explained. The challenge involves determining the minimal cellular diversity required to achieve brain-like capabilities.
The company is experimenting with different approaches to neural differentiation—one producing high cellular purity but limited diversity, and another generating diverse cell populations but with less predictability. “The brain is not a high-purity organ; it has a lot of different cell types, a lot of different connections,” Kagan observed. “So if you only have one cell type, you might have that cell type, but you don’t have a brain.”
This research has profound implications for both our understanding of biological intelligence and the future development of SBI technology. The CL1 platform itself serves as an essential tool for this exploration, enabling precisely controlled experiments to investigate the genetic and molecular foundations of learning and intelligence.
Looking toward a hybrid future
As the CL1 becomes widely available in late 2025, its impact will extend far beyond its immediate applications. The technology exemplifies a new paradigm in computing—one that harnesses biological processes rather than merely simulating them. This approach offers fundamentally different capabilities than conventional silicon-based systems.
“SBI is inherently more natural than AI, as it utilises the same biological material—neurons—that underpin intelligence in living organisms,” Cortical noted in their launch materials. “By leveraging neurons as a computational substrate, SBI has the potential to create systems that exhibit more organic and natural forms of intelligence compared to traditional silicon-based AI.”
The implications of this shift are profound. While current AI systems excel at pattern recognition and data processing within defined parameters, SBI platforms demonstrate an inherent adaptability and learning capacity that more closely resembles biological intelligence. This distinction may prove critical for applications requiring dynamic responses to unpredictable environments.
The market potential for SBI technology extends across numerous sectors. Beyond pharmaceutical research, potential applications include robotics, customised intelligence systems, advanced data processing, and environmental monitoring. Each application benefits from the unique properties of neural networks—their energy efficiency, adaptability, and capacity for parallel processing.
For Cortical Labs, the commercial launch of the CL1 represents both an achievement and a beginning. The technology’s full potential will only become apparent as researchers, scientists and innovators worldwide apply it to diverse challenges. As Dr Chong noted, “We’ll provide the platform and support for them to invest in R&D and drive new breakthroughs and research.”
The fusion of biology and technology embodied by the CL1 signals a new chapter in computing—one that may ultimately bridge the divide between human and machine intelligence. By incorporating the very cellular mechanisms that enable human thought, SBI systems like the CL1 point toward a future where the boundaries between natural and artificial intelligence become increasingly fluid, opening unprecedented possibilities for scientific discovery and technological advancement.