Cortical Labs recently announced its newest innovation, CL1, a major leap forward from its original DishBrain. Human brain cells are combined in the CL1 system, making it a highly complex information processing system. This discovery is a watershed advance in the rapidly developing field of bioengineering. So far, the company has raised over $11 million from North America-based, European and Asian investors. This summer, they’ll be sending out the first batch of 115, at a cost of $35,000 each.
One of the notable features of the new CL1 system is an onboard life-support system. It preserves its ingredients potent for up to six months! This biological system is meant to provide nutrients, insulate temperature, filter out toxins and waste, and contribute to fluid balance. The CL1 greatly expands its input options, providing 59 inputs as opposed to the eight inputs used in DishBrain. The CL1 has brought down latency from five milliseconds to well under a millisecond, enabling even speedier processing and response times.
Advancements in Technology
The CL1 is powered by 800,000 amazing lab-grown human neurons. These neurons are converted from skin or blood samples collected from adult donors. These neurons are therefore central for the system’s functionality and performance. Brett Kagan, CEO of Cortical Labs, on the technology’s responsible management.
“We don’t want somebody without the skills, capability, or safety,” – Brett Kagan
We learned that the CL1 system would draw 850 to 1,000 watts of power during operation of a single rack of units. Kagan emphasizes that even though producing just 100,000 neurons might be expensive, once you scale up to producing millions or hundreds of millions of neurons the economics work.
“While it cost us quite a bit to make 100,000 neurons, it only costs a fraction more to make a million and not much more for 100 million because biology grows exponentially,” – Brett Kagan
In addition to microbial contaminants, CL1 has a broad application of use. It might be applied to drug discovery, neurocomputation, AI acceleration and yes, Bitcoin mining. Researchers are still examining all of these potential options. The unrivaled capabilities of the CL1 have the potential to unlock entirely novel approaches to neuroscience and AI.
“You only run into hassles with scaling up cell culture at the billion- or trillion-cell level… But hundreds of millions is very manageable.” – Brett Kagan
Potential Applications
Karl Friston, one of the architects of the field, calls the CL1 a game-changer.
This unique capability adds to researchers’ ability to study the effects of drugs, injury and other factors on neuronal circuits in a controlled environment.
“On one view, [the CL1] could be regarded as the first commercially available biomimetic computer, the ultimate in neuromorphic computing that uses real neurons,” – Karl Friston
“However, the real gift of this technology is not to computer science. Rather, it’s an enabling technology that allows scientists to perform experiments on a little synthetic brain.” – Karl Friston
He thinks this method provides safer, cheaper options than silicon-powered devices.
“It allows people to study the effects of stimulation, drugs, and synthetic lesions on how neuronal circuits learn and respond in a closed-loop setup,” – Karl Friston
The Future of Bioengineered Intelligence
Unsurprisingly, Friston adopts an optimistic tone when discussing the technology’s potential to revolutionize experimental philosophy.
“With a sufficiently advanced collection of cells, you could achieve something that might even surpass current biology,” – Brett Kagan
Today, the launch of this CL1 also provides an important moment to reflect on the deepening intersection between biology and technology. As researchers find new applications for its unique capabilities, the implications for scientific research and artificial intelligence are nothing short of monumental.
“These things are controllable,” – Brett Kagan
Friston also shares an optimistic view on the technology’s potential impact on experimental philosophy.
“In short, experimentalists now have at hand a little ‘brain in a vat,’ something philosophers have been dreaming about for decades.” – Karl Friston
The launch of the CL1 marks a crucial moment in the intersection of biology and technology. As researchers continue to explore its applications and capabilities, the implications for scientific research and artificial intelligence are profound.