A new computing experiment in Singapore uses living human neurons as part of the hardware, growing them from blood-derived cells and placing them on silicon chips to handle information processing.
The technology could lead to more efficient computing tools that eventually support faster research, smarter medical development, and lower-energy tech infrastructure.
Here's what to know
Speaking in a TikTok video, creator Giga Chan said Singapore has developed 20 biological computers that incorporate human neurons.
@gigaqian Singapore is experimenting with biological computing using living human neurons grown on silicon chips. The wild part: those neurons can start with cells from a living person's blood. Scientists reprogram the cells into stem cells, turn them into neurons, grow them across microscopic electrodes, then let software send signals in and read the neurons' responses back out. Singapore now has 20 of these biological computers, with plans that could eventually scale much further. For decades, AI tried to make silicon imitate biology. Now we're starting to compute with biology itself. #BiologicalComputing #Biotech #Singapore #FutureTech #GigaQian ♬ Future Technology - めめ
He emphasized that these cells are not there to supply power; their role is to process information.
The setup starts with blood from a living donor, Chan said. Researchers convert blood cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, steer them into becoming neurons, and grow those neurons on silicon chips fitted with microscopic electrodes. Software then communicates with the cells by sending signals in and capturing the responses they produce.
He said, "So information goes in as electricity, living human neurons process it, and then information comes back out."
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Chan said Cortical Labs, which makes the computers, has already demonstrated how individualized this approach can be: its CEO donated blood that was turned into neurons capable of playing '90s video game Doom.
One user said, "Black Mirror was a documentary."
More background
Rather than trying to force conventional chips to mimic the brain, this approach uses living neurons directly inside a computing system. That marks a reversal from decades of work aimed at making silicon operate more like biological intelligence.
Brains are remarkably efficient at certain kinds of information processing. If researchers can safely and reliably learn from those biological systems, future computers could potentially handle complex tasks with far less energy than conventional hardware.
There are still major questions, including how scalable the technology is and what ethical guardrails should shape its use.
He also noted that while the neurons retain the donor's genetic information, they do not carry "the donor's memories or personality."
What's being done?
The biggest step is continued experimentation. Singapore's reported 20 biological computers suggest the technology is being tested as an early-stage platform.
Work by companies like Cortical Labs centers on systems that pair living cells with standard chips and software. That kind of mix could open new possibilities without requiring the entire computing world to rebuild from scratch.
Questions remain about where cells come from, how they are used, and what protections are in place as biological computing grows.
"For decades, AI has tried to make silicon imitate biological human neurons," Chan said. "This time, we might be skipping the imitation."
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