DayOne has deployed Singapore’s first biological data center prototype, in partnership with Cortical Labs and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine).

It comes five months after DayOne announced it was working with Australian biological computing startup Cortical Labs to establish two data centers in Melbourne, Australia, and Singapore.

The deployment consists of a 20-unit CL1 biological computing system, housed in a live research environment at NUS Medicine hosted by DayOne.

Launched in March 2025, the company’s CL1 system combines neurons cultivated from human stem cells with silicon to create what the company says is a “more advanced and sustainable form of AI,” a neural network dubbed Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI). Once cultivated, the neurons grow across the silicon chip, which sends and receives electrical impulses into the neural structure, before being integrated into Cortical Labs’ Biological Intelligence Operating System (biOS), which is capable of running simulations.

The operating system is able to send information directly to the neurons about their environment, and as they react, their impulses affect their simulated world. The neurons can then be kept alive for up to six months with the CL1’s internal life support system.

The CL1 is an upgraded version of a biological computer previously demonstrated by Cortical Labs, then known as DishBrain. That version contained 800,000 human and mouse neurons on a CMOS chip and taught itself to play Pong.

"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, CEO of DayOne.

Hon Weng Chong, founder and CEO of Cortical Labs, added: "The establishment of this prototype shifts the conversation from research to commercial application. Biological computing supplements AI in areas where data is sparse, learning from far less and adapting as conditions change."

Cortical Labs was founded in Melbourne in 2019 and, to date, has secured $11 million in funding, with investors including Horizons Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, LifeX Ventures, Radar Ventures, and the CIA's In-Q-Tel.

Singaporean data center operator DayOne currently runs a portfolio of more than 500MW of data center capacity in service and under construction, and more than 500MW held for future development across sites in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia (Johor), Indonesia (Batam), and Japan (Tokyo). The company recently broke ground on a site in Thailand and another in Singapore. In August, it made its first foray into markets beyond Asia, announcing a campus in Lahti, Finland.

Formerly known as GDS International, DayOne rebranded as an independent company last year. The company is reportedly looking to go public in the near future. In June 2026, the company secured $4.5 billion in Series C equity financing.