Data Centres Damage the Earth and Make Residents Suffer, Singapore Has a Solution

The large energy consumption of data centres has become a scourge and has drawn resistance from the public. In the United States, high energy consumption ultimately harms surrounding communities because their electricity bills also swell.

However, new research in Singapore is attempting to provide a solution so that energy consumption can be curbed. This finding is considered very extreme because it utilises human brain cells as a replacement for silicon processors.

The National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), data centre operator DayOne, and Melbourne-based Cortical Labs have launched the first biological data centre prototype. The facility is equipped with racks housing 20 CL1 neuron-powered computers operating independently.

The neuron cells were developed from stem cells and cultivated by the NUS Life Sciences Institute, as reported by The Next Web on Friday (21/8/2026).

Although claiming this innovation is far more efficient than conventional data centres, the researchers have not yet disclosed exact figures to support the energy efficiency claim.

Cortical Labs only provided an estimate of daily power consumption. One CL1 computer unit is said to require around 850 to 1,000 watts of power. This means one rack of this biological data centre requires an electricity supply of up to 20 kilowatts.

This technology is projected not to stop only in research laboratories. Cortical Labs plans to bring this biological data centre into the commercial realm.

Cortical Labs founder Hon Weng Chong stated that the success of this prototype shifts the focus of discussion from mere academic research towards real-world commercial applications.

Nevertheless, this neuron-based data centre still faces major technical challenges. The life-support system is currently only able to keep the neuron cells alive for six months—a lifespan limitation that has never existed in silicon-based servers.

Meanwhile, researchers in the Netherlands are also developing a similar energy-friendly data centre. The difference is that they do not use real human brain cells, but rather design neuromorphic chips that mimic the workings of neuron networks.