Iranian researchers have claimed to have developed an artificial brain using living human neurons grown in a laboratory, marking what officials describe as a major step toward next-generation biological computing.
According to Ataollah Pour-Abbasi, secretary of Iran’s Cognitive Sciences and Technologies Development Taskforce, scientists have successfully mastered the technology to culture human neurons outside the body and create functional neural networks capable of learning by forming synaptic connections similar to those in the human brain.
He said the achievement could pave the way for the development of brain cell-based computer processors, adding that a domestic knowledge-based company has already produced an experimental prototype using the technology. Pour-Abbasi claimed that biological processors built with human neurons could significantly outperform conventional silicon-based chips in information processing while potentially reducing power consumption by as much as one million times. He said the technology has become a strategically important field worldwide, with countries investing heavily in research to develop the next generation of computing systems.
Although the technology is not yet ready for commercial use, Pour-Abbasi maintained that Iran has acquired the technical expertise required to develop it independently.
He also claimed that the country’s scientific capabilities in biological computing are advancing alongside those of leading nations. Known as organoid intelligence or biological computing, the emerging technology uses living human neurons to build computing systems capable of processing information in parallel, similar to the human brain, while consuming far less energy than traditional computer processors.
