IEM Seminar: Wetware Computing: Towards Biological Neural Networks for Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence
Event details
| Date | 07.10.2026 |
| Hour | 09:15 › 10:00 |
| Speaker | Dr. Fred Jordan, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of FinalSpark, and CEO and Co-Founder of AlpVision |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract
Artificial intelligence has achieved remarkable progress using artificial neural networks, yet today’s digital computing platforms face growing challenges in energy efficiency, scalability, and adaptability. Recent advances in stem cell biology and neurotechnology have opened the possibility of an alternative computing paradigm: biological neural networks grown from human brain organoids.
This lecture will present the emerging field of wetware computing and Organoid Intelligence (OI), highlighting the development of FinalSpark’s Neuroplatform—the first cloud-accessible platform enabling continuous interaction with living neural networks. We will discuss how brain organoids can be interfaced through microelectrode arrays, trained using closed-loop stimulation strategies, and evaluated as adaptive computational substrates.
The presentation will cover the technological foundations required to build practical biocomputing systems, including organoid generation, electrophysiological interfaces, information encoding and decoding, curriculum learning, and automated experimentation. Current challenges, ethical considerations, and future applications—from ultra-low-power AI to hybrid biological-digital computing architectures—will also be discussed.
The talk aims to provide an overview of the state of the art, identify the key scientific and engineering bottlenecks, and explore how biological intelligence may complement conventional silicon-based computing in the coming decades.
Bio
Dr. Fred Jordan is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of FinalSpark, a Swiss company pioneering the emerging field of wetware computing through the development of biological neural network technologies based on human brain organoids. He also serves as CEO and Co-Founder of AlpVision, a Swiss technology company specializing in AI-based authentication and anti-counterfeiting solutions deployed worldwide by leading pharmaceutical, luxury, and consumer goods companies.
With more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and advanced technology development, Dr. Jordan has led the creation and commercialization of multiple innovative technologies. At FinalSpark, he has focused on developing the Neuroplatform, the first cloud-accessible platform enabling researchers worldwide to perform real-time experiments on living neural networks, supporting research in Organoid Intelligence and biological computing.
Dr. Jordan's current research interests include biological neural networks, brain-computer interfaces, information encoding and decoding, adaptive learning algorithms, and energy-efficient computing architectures. His work aims to bridge neuroscience and artificial intelligence to explore novel computational paradigms that complement conventional silicon-based computing.
He holds an engineering degree in Physics from INSA Rennes and a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
Artificial intelligence has achieved remarkable progress using artificial neural networks, yet today’s digital computing platforms face growing challenges in energy efficiency, scalability, and adaptability. Recent advances in stem cell biology and neurotechnology have opened the possibility of an alternative computing paradigm: biological neural networks grown from human brain organoids.
This lecture will present the emerging field of wetware computing and Organoid Intelligence (OI), highlighting the development of FinalSpark’s Neuroplatform—the first cloud-accessible platform enabling continuous interaction with living neural networks. We will discuss how brain organoids can be interfaced through microelectrode arrays, trained using closed-loop stimulation strategies, and evaluated as adaptive computational substrates.
The presentation will cover the technological foundations required to build practical biocomputing systems, including organoid generation, electrophysiological interfaces, information encoding and decoding, curriculum learning, and automated experimentation. Current challenges, ethical considerations, and future applications—from ultra-low-power AI to hybrid biological-digital computing architectures—will also be discussed.
The talk aims to provide an overview of the state of the art, identify the key scientific and engineering bottlenecks, and explore how biological intelligence may complement conventional silicon-based computing in the coming decades.
Bio
Dr. Fred Jordan is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of FinalSpark, a Swiss company pioneering the emerging field of wetware computing through the development of biological neural network technologies based on human brain organoids. He also serves as CEO and Co-Founder of AlpVision, a Swiss technology company specializing in AI-based authentication and anti-counterfeiting solutions deployed worldwide by leading pharmaceutical, luxury, and consumer goods companies.
With more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and advanced technology development, Dr. Jordan has led the creation and commercialization of multiple innovative technologies. At FinalSpark, he has focused on developing the Neuroplatform, the first cloud-accessible platform enabling researchers worldwide to perform real-time experiments on living neural networks, supporting research in Organoid Intelligence and biological computing.
Dr. Jordan's current research interests include biological neural networks, brain-computer interfaces, information encoding and decoding, adaptive learning algorithms, and energy-efficient computing architectures. His work aims to bridge neuroscience and artificial intelligence to explore novel computational paradigms that complement conventional silicon-based computing.
He holds an engineering degree in Physics from INSA Rennes and a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
Practical information
- General public
- Free