Hon Weng Chong

Dr. Hon Weng Chong is a medical doctor and entrepreneur known for his work in biological computing and artificial intelligence. Trained at the University of Melbourne and Johns Hopkins University, Chong has developed a career at the intersection of medicine, software engineering, and machine learning. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, he has applied his multidisciplinary expertise to ventures advancing technology in healthcare and computing.

After completing his medical training and practicing briefly as a physician, Chong co-founded CliniCloud, a medtech startup that commercialized a digital stethoscope enabling users to take readings at home and consult doctors online. CliniCloud received investment from Tencent and Ping An Ventures. Although the company eventually ceased operations, the experience provided Chong with insights into the convergence of science and technology.

Chong later founded Cortical Labs, a biotechnology company focused on integrating lab-grown neurons with silicon hardware to create new computing architectures. The company gained international attention when researchers published a paper in Neuron describing DishBrain, a system in which in vitro neuronal cultures learned to play the video game Pong in a closed-loop environment. The same neurons later learned to play Doom, further demonstrating the potential of biological computing. Cortical Labs attracted interest from major technology leaders, including a visit from Amazon's CTO, who highlighted the system's energy efficiency and potential impact on data center economics.

Chong's notable achievement is the CL1, a biological computer that grows living human neurons on silicon chips, sustains them through an internal life-support system, and enables software interaction via the company's biological intelligence operating system, biOS. This technology merges lab-cultivated neurons from human stem cells with silicon to create Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI), offering a sustainable approach to artificial intelligence. Cortical Labs also introduced the Cortical Cloud platform, the first wetware-as-a-service offering. The company has secured $11 million in funding from investors including Horizons Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, LifeX Ventures, Radar Ventures, and In-Q-Tel.

Cortical Labs established the world's first biological data center, advancing the application of biological computing in mainstream technology. Chong's work earned recognition on TIME's list of the 100 Most Influential People in AI. He has outlined potential applications for Cortical Labs' biological computer in drug testing for neurological disorders such as dementia and epilepsy, underscoring the broader implications of biological computing for healthcare and artificial intelligence.