FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Swiss tech startup FinalSpark is now selling access to biocomputers that combine up to four tiny lab-grown human brains with silicon chips.
This new product, called the Neuroplatform, uses small versions of human brains to do computer work instead of silicon chips. The company says it can fit 16 of these mini-brains onto the Neuroplatform and use a fraction of the energy required to power a traditional set up.
The platform, currently adopted by nine institutions, integrates hardware, software and biology to create a processing system that is energy-efficient and high-performing.
FinalSpark’s founders, Fred Jordan and Martin Kutter, hope to harness the human brain’s compatibility with silicon chips to make a greener future in the tech industry.
“Potentially, computing may ultimately become an activity with no ecological footprint,” Jordan said.
The Neuroplatform
The Neuroplatform is made up of 16 spherical brain organoids, or miniature human brains grown in a lab.
The organoids that the Neuroplatform gives access to are made up of about 10,000 living neurons from stem cells derived from human skin tissue, according to Jordan.
These tiny spheres, about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) wide, are kept in sterile incubators at body temperature, provided with water and nutrients and connected to an electrical circuit with small electrodes, according to the founders’ research paper in Frontiers.
Using these specialized electrodes, scientists can send electrical signals into brain organoids and measure the resulting responses.
“[The Neuroplatform] enables researchers to test ideas without having to setup a biological lab and hire all the dedicated personnel,” Jordan said.
The lab is available to researchers 24/7, uses real human neurons and uses the Python programming language, creating a “dream bridge between biology and data scientists,” according to Jordan.
After accessing the provided login/password, researchers gain the ability to remotely send electrical signals to neurons and receive their responses. It is then the responsibility of researchers to devise optimal algorithms for controlling the behavior of the organoids.
Users can mimic memory function by using periodic electrical stimulation to reinforce synapses through repetition, thus making desired pathways stronger.
Researchers do this by training the organoids through a reward system. The organoids are rewarded with dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure (and addiction).
Meanwhile, as “punishment,” the organoids are exposed to chaotic stimuli, such as irregular electrical activity.
A live view of the biochips working in real-time can be found at www.finalspark.com/live.
A greener (and wetter) future
The Neuroplatform operates using a wetware architecture, which blends hardware, software and organic biology.
While the human brain only needs 20 watts to power its 86 billion neurons, achieving the same efficiency with silicon would require 10 megawatts of power, according to the FinalSpark website.
The efficiency of the Neuroplatform’s system become especially relevant as Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to grow.
Training large models like GPT-4 needs a lot of energy, as much as “6,000 times the energy a European citizen uses per year.”
The Neuroplatform is a bioprocessing platform, or a type of device designed to carry out biological processes to produce or modify substances. Bioprocessing can involve various biological sources and produce a wide range of products. For example, brewing beer is considered a bioprocess.
In the case of the Neuroplatform, the bioprocess involves deriving energy from the brain organoids, a biological source.
Bioprocessors use very little energy, roughly equivalent to that of a light bulb. This efficiency could make advanced computing more accessible while significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
Although your laptop might not be powered by a human brain organoid anytime soon, the technology can be used to power even larger versions of AI systems like ChatGPT.
However, the current challenge for the project is the lifespan of the organoids.
While silicon chips used in processors can last for decades, brain organoids are estimated to survive for a maximum of 100 days.
Is this the final frontier, or a glitch in the Matrix?
FinalSpark’s founders worked with artificial neural networks for the first five years of the company’s existence.
However, after realizing just how much power artificial systems consumed, the team decided to pivot using biological neurons.
“We had basically to learn everything from scratch since that was not our expertise at all,” Jordan said.
When asked about the kind of impact the Neuroplatform will have in the future, Jordan said he imagined “some implications in the field of neuro-degenerative diseases and brain computer interface.”
“If you had asked a similar question to Shockley, the inventor of the transistor, he would probably not have guessed about smartphones and the Internet,” Jordan said.
Yet, this advancement brings ethical dilemmas to light. Using human brain cells, even in a miniature lab-grown form, sparks discussions about consciousness and the essence of life.
Shinya Yamanaka won the Nobel Prize in 2012 for discovering induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can transform mature cells into versatile ones without ethical issues. This breakthrough enabled personalized stem cells for studying diseases and advancing regenerative medicine.
Although FinalSpark stresses that these organoids lack sentience, the ethical discourse on utilizing living cells for computing remains ongoing.
“It remains that neurons are probably the most intimate cell for us, as thinking creatures,” Jordan said. “It is clear that technology is always pushing the frontiers, and we, as scientists, need the help of ethicians and philosophers to think about the implications.”
FinalSpark is offering universities and other educational institutions access to the Neuroplatform for $500 a month, with certain projects receiving free access. Businesses seeking access can contact FinalSpark for a personalized quote.
To learn more about FinalSpark and the Neuroplatform, please visit www.finalspark.com.