The world’s first living computer is here.

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the emerging field of biocomputing, which involves using biologically derived molecules such as DNA and proteins to perform digital or real computations. It explores the challenges of defining and understanding this interdisciplinary field, as well as the potential for biocomputers to be more energy-efficient than traditional silicon-based computers. The article also delves into the debate around whether consciousness can be replicated by computational processes or if it requires non-computable physical processes.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Biocomputing

1. What is the definition of biocomputing? Biocomputing is an emerging field that uses biologically derived molecules, such as DNA and/or proteins, to perform digital or real computations.

2. What are the challenges in defining and understanding biocomputing?

• Biocomputing is an interdisciplinary field, representing two different domains - biology and computer technology.
• It takes time to establish a globally accepted definition and understanding of new technologies.

3. How are the "brain cells" for biocomputers obtained? The "brain cells" are obtained by cultivating and growing stem cells in a lab, which form organoid structures containing thousands of neurons. This is a way of engineering living brain-like tissue and using neurons to perform computations.

4. How is the training process for biocomputers different from traditional AI models? For biocomputers, the training process needs to be biologically based. Dopamine, a molecule associated with reward, is used to provide positive reinforcement when the network elicits more spikes, while an electrical signal is used for negative reinforcement.

[02] Energy Efficiency and Consciousness

1. How does the energy efficiency of the human brain compare to the world's most powerful computer? The human brain can perform 1 exaflops (billion-billion mathematical operations per second) with just 20 watts of power, while the Frontier, the world's most powerful computer, requires 21 megawatts (enough to power 15,000 single-family homes) to reach the computing speed of the human brain.

2. What is the debate around whether consciousness can be replicated by computational processes?

• The common view in neuroscience is that conscious experience comes from communication between neurons at synapses, and brain activity is seen as a computational process.
• However, the mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose proposes a different theory, suggesting that consciousness is a non-computable process that requires biological elements and cannot be replicated by an algorithmic, computational process.
• Penrose suggests that the process of quantum state collapse may be the same process that leads to consciousness, but the exact mechanism is not yet understood.