Swiss Startup Develops Computer Processors Using “Miniature Human Brains”
In a groundbreaking advancement in technology and neuroscience, a Swiss company is developing a new kind of computer processor by utilizing tiny clusters of human brain cells. This innovative approach, part of an emerging field called “biological computing” or “wetware,” aims to harness the computing power of living brain tissue to revolutionize artificial intelligence and computing efficiency.
Cultivating Living Brain Tissues for Computing
At a laboratory in Vevey, Switzerland, a scientist injects human brain cells with a nutrient-rich solution to keep them alive, nurturing what has been called “miniature human brains.” These clusters, known as “brain organoids,” are crafted from stem cells that are differentiated into neurons and connected into networks just a few millimeters wide. According to Fred Jordan, co-founder of the Swiss startup FinalSpark, these organoids roughly resemble the brain of a fruit fly larva in complexity, yet have the potential to serve as biological processors.
“Our goal is not merely to simulate the brain with silicon chips but to experiment directly with real brain tissue,” says Jordan. He is convinced that processors built from living neural cells could eventually replace artificial silicon chips, which currently power the explosive growth of artificial intelligence but suffer from intense energy demands.
Efficiency and Potential Advantages
A key advantage lies in energy efficiency. Jordan explains that biological neurons consume energy about a million times more efficiently than their artificial counterparts. Moreover, these living processors can be produced in potentially unlimited quantities in laboratories, unlike silicon chips manufactured in large factories by companies such as Nvidia.
Although the current computational power of these miniature brains is far below conventional processors, the company and research partners see immense future potential. The implanted electrodes allow scientists to monitor and stimulate the neural activity of these organoids. By applying electrical impulses and recording the responses, researchers can encode binary data similar to the zeros and ones used in digital computing.
Collaborative Research and Applications
FinalSpark is collaborating with 10 universities worldwide, which are running online experiments using these living brain processors. For example, Benjamin Ward-Schierer of the University of Bristol is employing organoids in robotics to help distinguish different letters written in Braille, a system used by visually impaired individuals.
Challenges remain significant, including encoding information in a way that the organoids can process and interpreting their neural outputs. Ward-Schierer notes that while working with robots is straightforward, biological organs are living cells and thus can die unexpectedly, which has forced research teams to restart experiments.
Ethical Considerations and Future Prospects
While the technology is promising, ethical questions about the welfare of these living brain tissues have arisen. Lina Smirnova, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University studying brain disorders like autism and Alzheimer’s using organoids, underscores the importance of ethical safeguards. However, she and other experts dismiss concerns that these miniature brains, lacking pain receptors and numbering only about ten thousand neurons (versus the human brain’s 100 billion), could develop consciousness.
FinalSpark works closely with ethics specialists to navigate these concerns responsibly. In the lab, a refrigerator storing about sixteen “mini brains” connected to tubes, monitored by electrodes, shows measurable neural activity on a nearby screen. Despite years of research, many mysteries remain, including how the organoids can react to stimuli such as the opening of a door in the lab.
A New Frontier in Computing
Biological computing is still in its infancy, but it may pave the way for a future where living processors replace or augment silicon chips, enabling more energy-efficient and powerful AI systems. As research progresses, scientists hope to unlock new understandings of the brain’s computational abilities while addressing the ethical dimensions of working with living human neuronal tissue.
— AFP, reported from Vevey, Switzerland
