Scientists placed 200,000 living human brain cells on microchips, taught them how to play an apocalyptic video game, and are now using this dystopian technology to power an AI data center.
Australian biotech group Cortical Labs made headlines last week when it revealed that a biochip using neurons called CL1 has been trained to play “Doom.”
A collection of small cells could interact with the video game environment, allowing the character to move in four directions, aim, and shoot demons and skeletons in a 3D video game.
Cortical Institute’s Dr. Frankenstein and colleagues said the company’s biochip monster demonstrated “real-time adaptation and learning” by using a highly honed software program to synchronize gaming signals with the electrical inputs of neurons, a company representative explained in a YouTube video.
“Actual neurons are grown directly on our custom chips, producing intelligence that intuitively learns with incredible efficiency,” the company says on its site. “Unlike traditional AI, our neural system requires minimal energy and training data to master complex tasks.”
“This isn’t just a new computer; it’s computing reimagined,” the company proudly says.
The process of developing neurons for microchips is practically biological wizardry.
Blood cells taken from adult volunteers are converted into stem cells. These are turned into neuron cells and grown directly on microchips by Cortical Labs.
Not satisfied with the video hellscape, the company is now building entire data centers using “matrix” neuron technology, where human bodies are harvested for power.
Cortical Labs Inc. announced Tuesday that it has built a biodata center in Melbourne, Australia, using 120 brain-draining CL1 units, Bloomberg News reported. A second brain battery factory will be built in Singapore. It’s unclear when the data center will be operational.
Neuron chips are so energy efficient that they could one day put standard AI data centers out of business. According to Bloomberg, one CL1 unit powered by Neuron uses less power than a handheld calculator.
