Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News
      Africa's most popular phones have a tracking problem

      Africa’s most popular phones have a tracking problem

      24 July 2026
      Vodacom taps UJ, AWS to build its AI talent pipeline - Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub

      Vodacom taps UJ, AWS to build its AI talent pipeline

      24 July 2026
      Intel is back in the game - Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Laure Andrillon/Reuters

      Intel is back in the game

      24 July 2026
      Fat bonuses at Telkom despite group missing own targets - Serame Taukobong

      Fat bonuses at Telkom despite group missing own targets

      23 July 2026
      Massive changes coming to Amazon Prime Video - Jeff Bezos

      Massive changes coming to Amazon Prime Video

      23 July 2026
    • World
      Meta AI will now tell parents if their teen is in crisis

      Meta AI will now tell parents if their teen is in crisis

      17 July 2026
      IBM shares crash 25% as AI upends software spending - Arvind Krishna

      IBM shares crash 25% as AI upends software spending

      15 July 2026
      Jony Ive's first OpenAI device: an AI smart speaker - Jony Ive and Sam Altman

      Jony Ive’s first OpenAI device: an AI smart speaker

      15 July 2026
      Stripe, Advent in talks to buy PayPal for $53-billion

      Stripe, Advent in talks to buy PayPal for $53-billion

      15 July 2026
      Memory crisis sends smartphone market into steep decline

      Memory crisis sends smartphone market into steep decline

      13 July 2026
    • In-depth
      The plan to stop AI from breaking the world - Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis. Image: John Sears

      The plan to stop AI from breaking the world

      16 July 2026
      The internet has a Strait of Hormuz problem

      The internet has a Strait of Hormuz problem

      15 July 2026
      AI boom sparks rally, frenzy and fear

      AI boom sparks rally, frenzy and fear

      11 June 2026
      Every plug-in hybrid on sale in South Africa, ranked by price - Lamborghini Temerario

      Every plug-in hybrid on sale in South Africa, ranked by price

      7 June 2026
      What Wi-Fi 8 will mean for wireless networks

      What Wi-Fi 8 will mean for wireless networks

      1 June 2026
    • TCS
      TCS | How Optasia lends billions to people banks can't see - Salvador Anglada

      TCS | How Optasia lends billions to people banks can’t see

      23 July 2026
      The rands-and-cents case for electric trucks - William Kelly Watts & Wheels with Wills

      The rands-and-cents case for electric trucks

      20 July 2026
      Watts & Wheels S1E7: 'Ferrari's EV breaks the internet'

      Watts & Wheels S1E7: ‘Ferrari’s EV breaks the internet’

      8 July 2026
      TCS | Pick n Pay's Enrico Ferigolli on Penny, the AI that shops for you

      TCS | Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on Penny, the AI that shops for you

      2 July 2026
      TCS+ | How Tracker is turning vehicle data into business strategy - Silvia Schollenberger

      TCS+ | How Tracker is turning vehicle data into business strategy

      1 July 2026
    • Opinion
      Selling vapour is corporate suicide in slow motion - Jannie van Zyl

      Selling vapour is corporate suicide in slow motion

      16 July 2026
      Brazil's online gambling crackdown is a lesson for South Africa

      How Amazon outmanoeuvred Starlink in South Africa

      15 July 2026
      The Popia problem with agentic AI - Herman Haasbroek

      The Popia problem with agentic AI

      14 July 2026
      The author, Fanie van Rooyen

      South Africa can still catch the AI wave – here’s how

      7 July 2026
      The author, Fanie van Rooyen

      The AI utopia South Africa can’t afford

      1 July 2026
    • Company Hubs
      • 1Stream
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • Ascent Technology
      • AvertITD
      • BBD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CM Telecom
      • Contactable
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • HOSTAFRICA
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • IQbusiness
      • Iris Network Systems
      • Kaspersky
      • LSD Open
      • Mitel
      • NEC XON
      • Netstar
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Telviva
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Vodacom Business
      • Vox
      • Wipro
      • Workday
      • XLink
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Financial services
      • HealthTech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Policy and regulation
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Satellite communications
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
      • Watts & Wheels
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Sections » Science » TCS | The company building a ‘living computer’ with human cells
    TCS | The company building a 'living computer' with human cells - Fred Jordan FinalSpark
    Fred Jordan

    TCS | The company building a ‘living computer’ with human cells

    By TechCentral23 October 2025

    The invention of the silicon transistor was fundamental to the success of the digital age, driving the core of the modern-day digital economy.

    The rise of generative AI has put hardware at the epicentre of the next wave of economic growth, with chip makers such as Nvidia and AMD reaching record valuations as demand for advanced chips far outstrips supply.

    But as AI data centres expand, so, too, does their consumption of resources, with their demand for water and electricity rising exponentially.

    FinalSpark is a Swiss biocomputing company exploring more efficient ways of computing – and it’s turned to human neurons as a potential solution.

    Watch the interview

    In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Fred Jordan, co-founder and co-CEO of FinalSpark, gives insight into “wetware” (in effect, living hardware) and what it means for the future of computing.

    Jordan delves into:

    • What inspired him turn to living neurons as a means of processing;
    • Parallels between his training as a signal processing engineer and his work with living neurons;
    • Why FinalSpark uses human neurons and not any other like those from a cat or an octopus;
    • How skin cells are used to “create” the neurons;
    • How the neurons are fed, stored and kept alive;
    • How long the neurons live for and the sort of computations FinalSpark has made them perform; and
    • His views on the future of computing.

    Don’t miss this intriguing discussion!

    Listen to this episode of the TechCentral Show

    Subscribe for free

    To subscribe to any of TechCentral’s shows, including TCS, TCS+, Meet the CIO, Watts & Wheels and TCS Legends, please use the links below:

    ShowPlatform
    TCSYouTubeSpotifyApplePocket CastsRSS
    TCS LegendsYouTubeSpotifyApplePocket CastsRSS
    TCS+YouTubeSpotifyApplePocket CastsRSS
    Meet the CIOYouTubeSpotifyApplePocket CastsRSS
    Watts & WheelsYouTubeSpotifyApplePocket CastsRSS

    Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp. Sign up here.

    Follow TechCentral on Google News Add TechCentral as your preferred source on Google


    FinalSpark Fred Jordan TCS TechCentral Show
    WhatsApp YouTube
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleProactive MDR: safeguard your business with Vox and Sophos
    Next Article Vodacom, MTN join GSMA coalition to deliver $30 smartphone for Africa

    Related Posts

    TCS | Charge's R1.8-billion bet on an off-grid EV future - Charge chairman Joubert Roux

    TCS | Charge’s R1.8-billion bet on an off-grid EV future

    18 May 2026
    TCS | The Cape Town start-up listening for TB with AI - Braden van Breda

    TCS | The Cape Town start-up listening for TB with AI

    4 May 2026
    TCS | Donovan Marsh on AI and the future of filmmaking

    TCS | Donovan Marsh on AI and the future of filmmaking

    7 April 2026
    Company News
    Why Europe is turning to South Africa for cross-border innovation - BBD Software

    Why Europe is turning to South Africa for cross-border innovation

    24 July 2026
    Green dashboards, stalled change: the CIO's blind spot - Change Logic Marchant van den Heever

    Green dashboards, stalled change: the CIO’s blind spot

    24 July 2026
    Why Africa's cloud needs more than one path - Africa Data Centres

    Why Africa’s cloud needs more than one path

    23 July 2026
    Opinion
    Selling vapour is corporate suicide in slow motion - Jannie van Zyl

    Selling vapour is corporate suicide in slow motion

    16 July 2026
    Brazil's online gambling crackdown is a lesson for South Africa

    How Amazon outmanoeuvred Starlink in South Africa

    15 July 2026
    The Popia problem with agentic AI - Herman Haasbroek

    The Popia problem with agentic AI

    14 July 2026

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Latest Posts
    Africa's most popular phones have a tracking problem

    Africa’s most popular phones have a tracking problem

    24 July 2026
    Vodacom taps UJ, AWS to build its AI talent pipeline - Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub

    Vodacom taps UJ, AWS to build its AI talent pipeline

    24 July 2026
    Intel is back in the game - Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Laure Andrillon/Reuters

    Intel is back in the game

    24 July 2026
    Why Europe is turning to South Africa for cross-border innovation - BBD Software

    Why Europe is turning to South Africa for cross-border innovation

    24 July 2026
    © 2009 - 2026 NewsCentral Media
    Built and maintained by Chronon
    • Cookie policy (ZA)
    • TechCentral – privacy and Popia

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Manage consent

    TechCentral uses cookies to enhance its offerings. Consenting to these technologies allows us to serve you better. Not consenting or withdrawing consent may adversely affect certain features and functions of the website.

    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    • Manage options
    • Manage services
    • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
    • Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    • {title}
    • {title}
    • {title}