Australian startup Cortical Labs is building what could become one of the world's first "biological data centers" - augmenting silicon computing chips with those seeded with living human neurons. The company has opened its first facility in Melbourne, Australia, and is planning a larger site in Singapore. The aim is not to replace silicon but to explore whether living neural systems can complement existing hardware in specific computing tasks. The CL1 system is a hybrid device with each unit containing roughly 200,000 human neurons derived from stem cells grown directly onto a silicon chip. The electrodes can stimulate the cells with electrical signals and record their activity in real time. The software layer translates between biological signals and digital inputs and outputs, effectively turning patterns of neural activity into something a computer can use. However, there is no evidence that biological systems can compete with current systems or CPUs in real-world applications.