BBB-iotech: Startup uses living neurons to build AI hardware that could slash energy use

Biological computing emerges as a potentially transformative approach to AI hardware with the debut of Biological Black Box’s (BBB) Bionode platform. The Baltimore-founded startup has developed technology that integrates lab-grown neurons with traditional processors, positioning biological computing as a complementary technology to traditional GPUs rather than a replacement. This innovation could address critical challenges in AI development including energy consumption, processing efficiency, and model adaptation capabilities—representing a significant shift in how artificial intelligence systems may be built in the future.

The big picture: BBB’s Bionode platform uses living neurons grown from human stem cells and rat-derived cells to act as biological computer chips, offering an alternative to conventional GPU-based AI systems.

• The company believes biological computing has become viable due to two decades of parallel advancements in biology, hardware, and computational tools.
• Despite being part of Nvidia‘s Inception incubator, BBB positions its technology as an enhancement to silicon-based chips rather than a competitor.

Key advantages: Bionode offers immediate benefits in two critical AI processing areas, potentially addressing major bottlenecks in current AI development.

• When used as a pre-processing layer for computer vision tasks, the biological system has demonstrated reductions in both inference times and GPU power consumption.
• The platform’s self-adapting neurons could significantly accelerate large language model training by reducing the need for frequent retraining cycles, as neurons naturally adapt on the fly.

Behind the technology: The Bionode platform leverages neurons’ unique ability to physically rewire themselves, creating systems that can adapt to new data in ways silicon chips cannot.

• This neuroplasticity enables more efficient processing for certain AI tasks while potentially consuming less energy than traditional GPU-based approaches.
• BBB’s CEO Alex Ksendzovsky envisions a future modular AI ecosystem where biological computing, silicon chips, and quantum computing each serve specialized roles.

Ethical considerations: The use of living tissue for computing raises significant questions that BBB acknowledges will require ongoing attention.

• The company is already collaborating with ethicists and regulatory experts to ensure responsible technology development.
• As one of the first companies to commercially pursue biological computing for AI, BBB is helping establish frameworks for this emerging field.