The most powerful computer might one day be made of living cells instead of silicon and wires. 

A new project at Rice University in Texas is working to make that vision a reality. 

With a $1.99 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the team will develop engineered bacterial systems that could serve as the foundation for biological computing systems.

This four-year project, which includes collaborators from the University of Houston, is set to turn traditional computing on its head.

The concept is simple: individual bacterial cells act as tiny processors. By joining them, scientists can construct a powerful biological computer network.

“Microbes are remarkable information processors, and we want to understand how to connect them into networks that behave intelligently,” said Professor Matthew Bennett, who leads the project from Rice University. 

“By integrating biology with electronics, we hope to create a new class of computing platforms that can adapt, learn, and respond to their environments,” he added. 

‘Living computer’

Building computers from living biological matter has been around for many years.

This field, known as biocomputing, uses synthetic biology and living matter like lab-grown brain cells (organoids) to create computer architecture rather than standard silicon-based hardware.

It is driven by the knowledge that brains, whether human or animal, can perform lots of calculations per second with very little energy. 

Researchers believe this biological efficiency could solve the ballooning energy demands of artificial intelligence.

For example, a Swiss company called FinalSpark has already developed a computer platform powered by human-brain organoids, which scientists can rent over the internet. The company’s goal is to create an AI computing system that uses much less energy than current designs.

The new Rice University project, however, is unique in its focus on using microbes.

The project seeks to develop platforms for a new class of computing systems, which will be built from living cells by linking microbial sensing and communication with electronic networks.

Medical biosensors

The team’s work is based on the idea that each individual microbial cell can be treated as a processor. 

Since these microorganisms naturally communicate with each other through chemical or electrical signals, they can be linked to form a parallel computing system. 

Using continuous culture systems, the researchers will maintain these microbes and link them with electronics. 

This will allow the microbial networks to learn and adapt over time, enabling them to recognize patterns. As a result, the system will be able to respond to real-world chemical inputs in impossible ways for conventional computers.

If successful, the project could advance medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and next-generation computing. 

A key application is the development of smart biosensors that can detect specific chemical markers, such as disease biomarkers or environmental contaminants, and transmit the information electronically.

“Beyond diagnostics and monitoring, living computers may one day adapt and evolve in ways that surpass the capabilities of traditional machines,” Bennett said.

The project will also examine the ethical, legal, and social implications of creating programmable living computers. This includes exploring how these technologies should be regulated and how the public will receive them.