Cortical Labs’ push to commercialise biological computing
After going viral, raising $10 million and struggling through R&D, Cortical Labs finally has its first product.
Six years after its founding, Cortical Labs has launched its first 1.0 product. The sci-fi-sounding startup has spent years developing a processor that integrates cultured brain cells with silicon, believing this hybrid approach could create a more natural and efficient architecture for artificial intelligence.
Its first computer, the CL1, debuted in early March when Cortical Labs showcased 30 units at Mobile World Congress in Spain. The Blackbird-backed startup is now selling hardware units and offering cloud-based access to its computers for academics and R&D labs.
Cortical Labs gained viral attention in 2022 when its “brain on a chip” processor learned to play Pong. The system uses neural cells that receive inputs from a computer and learn through negative and positive feedback.
Founder Hon Weng Chong says this “biological computing” approach provides a more cost-effective way to build AI — a claim that has drawn interest from figures such as Amazon CTO Werner Vogel and physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
