Australian startup developing biological computers made of human brain cells mounted on silicon chips. At the heart of its system is an array of thousands of tiny electrodes upon which sit neurons grown from stem cells taken from a human donor. The array allows a conventional computer to pick up the electrical activity generated by the neurons and to stimulate them in turn. The neurons are kept alive for up to six months by tubes and pumps supplying oxygen and nutrients and removing waste products. The whole assembly is packaged into a box designed to fit standard data-centre server racks.
The firm has taught its biological computers to play "Pong" and, in February 2026, "Doom" (a demonstration by a Stanford hackathon participant using 200,000 brain cells). Cortical has connected some of its computers to the internet, allowing anyone to experiment; around 5,500 people had done so by early 2026.
On March 10th 2026 Cortical announced a deal with DayOne, a Singapore data-centre developer, to install 20 of its bio-computers at the National University of Singapore.
Hon Weng Chong is the firm's boss. Brett Kagan, a neuroscientist, is its chief scientific officer.
Dying is one of the few things that can be done as easily lying down.