Definition: CL1

(Cortical Labs 1) The world's first biological computer from Melbourne, Australia-based biotech firm Cortical Labs. Introduced in 2025 as a research platform, approximately 800 thousand human neurons grown from stem cells are fused with electronics to process information. The short-term vision is to provide personalized medicine and drug discovery, and a long-term goal is to pioneer a new form of computing that is much faster than the artificial neural networks in today's AI models.

Controlled by biOS, the Biological Intelligence OS, the CL1 creates "synthetic biological intelligence." The unit is equipped with an artificial life support system to keep the cells healthy. It pumps like the heart and has filtration units like kidneys. Stay tuned! See bio computer and organoid intelligence.

The CL1

Cortical's own description is "real neurons are cultivated inside a nutrient rich solution, supplying them with everything they need to be healthy. They grow across a silicon chip, which sends and receives electrical impulses into the neural structure." Cloud-based CL1 functionality is also available for researchers. (Image courtesy of Cortical Labs.)