NUS Medicine, DayOne and Cortical Labs Unveil Biological Data Center Prototype in Singapore
Published: 17 Aug 2026
From left to right: Professor Rickie Patani, Director of the Neurobiology Programme at the NUS Life Sciences Institute (LSI) and Chair of the Neuroscience Translational Research Programme (TRP); Jamie Khoo, CEO of DayOne; and Hon Weng Chong, Founder and CEO of Cortical Labs.
The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) is partnering with DayOne, a Singapore-headquartered global data centre developer and operator, and Cortical Labs, a Melbourne-based biological computing startup, to establish a groundbreaking Biological Data Centre prototype at the NUS Life Sciences Institute.
On 6 August 2026, an exclusive showcase of the prototype brought together over 80 guests from the private sector and academia, as well as the technology and digital infrastructure sectors for a first look at this next frontier in computing. Attendees experienced a live demonstration of the CL1/Cortical Cloud computing units, microelectrode array integration, and real-time neural network activity, offering a powerful glimpse into how biology and technology can come together to transform the future of computing.
A Biological Data Centre represents a new generation of computing infrastructure. Instead of relying solely on conventional silicon chips, it uses “wetware” — living biological neurons derived from stem cells — to process information and support AI systems. In contrast to traditional data centres, which depend on energy-intensive servers, biological computing offers the potential for significantly greater efficiency by harnessing brain-like organoids that can operate using only a fraction of the power required by digital computers.
Prototype of the DayOne and Cortical Labs’ Biological Data Centre
This prototype marks a major milestone in DayOne and Cortical Labs’ ambition to develop Singapore’s first large-scale Biological Data Centre — and the first of its kind outside Australia.
At the heart of this effort is NUS Medicine’s expertise in neurobiology. The cells will be cultured and grown under the supervision of Professor Rickie Patani, Professor of Neuroscience at NUS Medicine, Director of the Neurobiology Programme at the NUS Life Sciences Institute, and Chair of the Neuroscience Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine.
The deployment of a 20-unit CL1 biological computing system—the first independently operated biologically integrated server rack in the world—brings Cortical Labs’ technology into a live research environment at NUS Medicine, hosted within infrastructure designed and supported by DayOne. It demonstrates an alternative pathway to scale AI capacity with significantly lower power intensity.
Professor Rickie Patani, Director of the Neurobiology Programme at the NUS Life Sciences Institute (LSI) and Chair of the Neuroscience Translational Research Programme (TRP) speaking at the launch of the Biological Data Center Prototype
“This partnership marks a genuine shift in how we think about computing and its broader scientific potential,” said Professor Rickie Patani, Professor of Neuroscience at NUS Medicine, Director of the Neurobiology Programme at the NUS Life Sciences Institute (LSI) and Chair of the Neuroscience Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine. “By growing living human neurons from stem cells and pairing them with rigorous engineering, we’re not only building a more efficient alternative to silicon; we’re creating a platform that can help us understand learning and adaptation at their biological source. That dual promise is what makes this collaboration sustainable and scientifically generative. It gives us a real route to accelerate drug discovery and neurological disease research, turning laboratory insight into real-world impact far faster than we could before.”
Jamie Khoo, Chief Executive Officer of DayOne sharing about the future of Singapore’s digital infrastructure
“Our commitment to Singapore goes beyond capacity. We are here to help shape what the next generation of digital infrastructure looks like, and that means investing in approaches that meet Singapore’s sustainability ambitions alongside its AI ambitions. This prototype is a step toward demonstrating that scaling compute and reducing resource intensity are goals we can pursue together,” said Jamie Khoo, Chief Executive Officer of DayOne. “Singapore has the research depth, infrastructure capability, and collaborative ecosystem to lead that exploration. We are proud to contribute to translating frontier scientific research into practical impact, with world-class partners, in one of the world’s most sustainability-driven markets.”
Hon Weng Chong, Founder and CEO, Cortical Labs sharing about the commercial applications of the prototype
“The establishment of this prototype shifts the conversation from research to commercial application,” said Hon Weng Chong, Founder and CEO, Cortical Labs. “Biological computing supplements AI in areas where data is sparse, learning from far less and adapting as conditions change. Our aim is to uncover the use cases where that advantage matters most, in areas such as drug discovery, humanoid robotics, cybersecurity and fraud detection. Ultimately, this is about offering a more sustainable path for the technologies humankind depends on. Singapore is the innovation hub for Asia’s data centre industry, and what we build here is the model we intend to replicate and scale globally.”
