Singapore could soon host one of the world’s first biological data centre prototypes, as data centre developer DayOne partners Melbourne-based Cortical Labs to test a new form of computing powered by living neurons.
The biological data center project aims to explore “wetware” computing — a system that uses lab-grown biological neurons rather than silicon chips to process information and support artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.
Under the partnership announced, DayOne will provide capital and strategic support while collaborating with Cortical Labs and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) to establish an initial prototype facility.
The prototype is expected to begin with a single rack containing 20 Cortical Cloud units, Cortical Labs’ biological computing platform. Cells will be cultured and grown at the NUS Life Sciences Institute under the supervision of Professor Rickie Patani, Professor of Neuroscience at NUS Medicine and director of the institute’s Neurobiology Programme.
Wetware Computing And Sustainable Data Centers
Unlike conventional data centres that rely on energy-intensive servers, a biological data center uses brain-like organoids — clusters of living neurons grown from stem cells — to perform computing tasks.
Advocates say such systems could operate using significantly less electricity than traditional digital infrastructure, potentially offering a lower-energy pathway for AI development.
“Singapore is raising the bar for sustainable data center growth, and the market is responding with new approaches, beyond just bigger builds,” said Jamie Khoo, chief executive officer of DayOne.
“Partnering with Cortical Labs allows us to explore a new compute paradigm that complements Singapore’s and the region’s sustainability-led trajectory.”
The collaboration comes as Singapore continues to expand its data centre capacity under stricter environmental guidelines.
The government has announced plans to release at least 200 megawatts of new capacity through its second Data Centre Call for Application (DC-CFA-2), alongside tighter energy efficiency requirements under the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Green Data Center Roadmap.
AI Demand Driving Alternative Compute Research
Demand for AI computing power is placing increasing pressure on electricity grids globally.
By 2030, global data centre capacity could reach 200 gigawatts, while Southeast Asia’s data centre power demand could grow from 2.6 GW in 2025 to 10.7 GW by 2035, according to industry projections.
Hon Weng Chong, founder and chief executive officer of Cortical Labs, said the partnership aims to explore alternatives that could reduce the resource footprint of AI systems.
“Singapore has made it clear that the next chapter of digital infrastructure must be built with sustainability at the core,” he said.
“This partnership is about giving policymakers and industry a practical alternative — a sustainable pathway to AI adoption that aims to decouple compute growth from a resource footprint.”
Research Applications And Future Expansion
The Singapore biological data center prototype is expected to support research in neuro-inspired AI, biomedical modelling and drug discovery.
Professor Rickie Patani said biological computing platforms could help researchers explore how brain-like networks learn and adapt.
“For applications such as drug discovery and neurological disease research, the ability to run experiments on brain-like biological networks alongside conventional computing could accelerate hypothesis testing,” he said.
Following the initial validation phase at NUS Medicine, the partners plan to test the technology within a live environment at a DayOne commercial data centre facility.
The deployment would allow engineers to assess operational integration, including power distribution, cooling infrastructure and environmental management systems.
The companies said they are exploring a phased expansion that could scale to as many as 1,000 wetware computing units within a DayOne facility in Singapore, subject to technical validation and regulatory approvals.
