Technology
DNA & Bio Computing
DNA-based data storage and biological computing systems using synthetic biology for massive data density and novel computation.
10 companies
Explainer
DNA & Bio Computing explained
Biocomputing uses biological material to store or process information. It has two main branches. DNA data storage encodes digital files in the four bases of DNA (A, C, G and T). Biological computing uses living cells or neurons grown in the lab as the computing element.
DNA is very compact and stable. Storing data means converting bits to a base sequence, synthesising the DNA, and keeping it. Reading it back means sequencing. In 2012 researchers at Harvard encoded a book in DNA, and the field has grown since. Neuron-based systems grow cultures on electrode arrays. Some groups use organoids, small 3D clusters of neurons, in the same way and use the electrical activity as input and output.
How it differs from the usual approach
Silicon chips are fast and cheap per operation. DNA storage is slow to write and to read, and costs far more per byte than tape or disks today. Its attraction is density and longevity for data that is rarely accessed. Neuron-based computing is a different idea: cells can adapt and use little energy, but they are hard to keep alive and to control, and results vary between cultures.
Where it is used
- Long-term archives of rarely read data, such as cultural and scientific records.
- Research on writing and reading data with synthetic DNA.
- Lab-grown neuron cultures used to study learning and drug effects.
- Molecular diagnostics and sensors built from engineered cells or DNA.
- Early research platforms that combine neurons with electronics.
What to watch
- The cost of DNA synthesis and the speed of writing are the main obstacles for DNA storage.
- Industry groups, including the DNA Data Storage Alliance, are working on standards for the format.
- In 2022 Cortical Labs reported that cultured neurons in a dish learned to play a simple version of Pong.
- Ethical and safety questions around lab-grown neural tissue are still being worked out.
Frequently asked questions
What is DNA data storage?
It is a method of storing digital files by turning bits into a sequence of DNA bases, making the DNA, and reading it back with sequencing. It is very dense and lasts long, but it is slow and costly.
Can DNA replace hard drives?
Not for everyday use. Writing and reading are slow and expensive. It is being explored for archives that are written once and read rarely.
What is biological computing with neurons?
It uses cultured neurons on electrodes as a computing element. The cells respond to electrical input and can adapt. The field is early research, and its practical value is not yet shown.
- Biomemory Biomemory is a French company building DNA data storage, which records digital files as sequences of synthetic DNA that can last far longer than tape or disks. The company is based in Paris. In March 2026 it announced the purchase of the assets of Catalog Technologies, a US rival, including patents on DNA printing and reading, and it plans a Boston office for research and production. Biomemory says it intends to launch its first end-to-end commercial DNA storage products before the end of 2026. The price of the Catalog deal was not disclosed. DNA & Bio Computing · Memory & Storage $18M (€17M) Series A (Dec 2024, Crédit Mutuel Innovation-led)
- Iridia Iridia is a US company working on DNA data storage, which encodes digital information in synthetic DNA instead of magnetic or flash media. It was formerly called Dodo Omnidata. Its approach combines DNA synthesis chemistry, electronic nano-switches and semiconductor fabrication, with the aim of writing, storing and reading data on a single microchip. Press coverage places the company in Carlsbad, California. An early funding round of $24 million was led by LifeSci Venture Partners, with Western Digital Capital among the investors. DNA & Bio Computing $53.95M
- FinalSpark FinalSpark is a Swiss company working on biocomputing, which uses living neurons grown in culture as a biological neural network instead of silicon. Its Neuroplatform gives researchers remote, round-the-clock access to human brain organoids, small clumps of cultured neurons, which are stimulated and recorded through multi-electrode arrays using a Python interface. Its site lists ten universities as users, including Michigan, Bristol and Tokyo, and offers a dataset of over 30 TB of recorded neural activity. The work is research, not a commercial computing product. It is based in Vevey. DNA & Bio Computing · Neuromorphic Computing —
- Koniku Koniku makes co-processors built from living biological neurons, an approach sometimes called wetware computing. The neurons are engineered with DNA-defined receptors so they respond to specific particles, such as explosives or drugs, and produce an output signal. The company lists uses in airport security screening, drones that detect buried explosive devices, and taste-based quality checks in agriculture. Its website gives its address as Berkeley, California. DNA & Bio Computing · Neuromorphic Computing —
- DSDNA Script DNA Script is a French company that develops enzymatic DNA synthesis, a method that uses enzymes to build DNA strands instead of the harsh chemistry used in older synthesis. Its SYNTAX platform is a benchtop instrument that lets laboratories make single-stranded DNA oligos, which are short custom DNA sequences, in-house and overnight. The company sells the instrument and separate consumable kits. Faster in-house DNA writing matters for biology research and for experiments in storing data as DNA. DNA Script describes itself as a programmable biology company and its press releases are datelined Paris. DNA & Bio Computing —
- GBGinkgo Bioworks Ginkgo Bioworks is a synthetic biology company that engineers organisms for other businesses, and has moved toward autonomous labs, which are automated laboratories run largely by software and robotics. It now sells lab automation hardware, a cloud lab, reagents, and data services such as antibody and small molecule developability screening. It is not a computer maker, but its automation and AI tooling overlap with DNA and bio computing. Ginkgo was founded in 2008 by scientists from MIT, is headquartered in Boston, and trades on the NYSE as DNA. DNA & Bio Computing —
- EVEvonetix Evonetix is a UK company developing a way to write DNA using a silicon chip. The chip is intended to control chemistry at many tiny sites in parallel, so that long, accurate DNA sequences can be built on a benchtop instrument instead of ordered from a central factory. The approach borrows from semiconductor manufacturing, which is why it appears among compute hardware companies. Better DNA writing supports synthetic biology and DNA data storage. The company is based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. DNA & Bio Computing —
- Catalog Technologies Catalog Technologies, based in Boston, developed DNA data storage and computing, which encodes digital files into synthetic DNA instead of magnetic or flash media. DNA can hold data very densely and keep it for long periods without power, but writing and reading it is slow compared with conventional storage. In March 2026 the French startup Biomemory bought key Catalog assets, including patents, and set up production and research in Boston alongside its Paris operations. Biomemory says its patent portfolio now exceeds 90 patents. The Catalog name should be treated as a legacy entry. DNA & Bio Computing —
- ABAnsa Biotechnologies Ansa Biotechnologies makes synthetic DNA using an enzymatic method. Instead of the harsh chemicals used in conventional DNA synthesis, it attaches building blocks to a DNA-building enzyme, which the company says allows longer and more complex sequences. DNA synthesis matters for computing because synthetic DNA is the writing step in DNA data storage. Ansa sells its DNA as a service with guaranteed delivery times. In October 2025 it announced a $54.4 million Series B led by Cerberus Ventures, and its press release is datelined Emeryville, California. DNA & Bio Computing $54.4M Series B (Oct 2025)
- Twist Bioscience Twist Bioscience makes synthetic DNA, including genes, gene fragments and oligo pools, which are short custom DNA strands. Its process runs the chemistry on a silicon platform that shrinks the reaction wells, which the company says saves time and cost. It also sells sequencing panels, antibody services and variant libraries. DNA made this way is relevant to DNA data storage, where digital files are written as DNA sequences. Twist was founded in 2013, is headquartered in South San Francisco, California, and trades on Nasdaq as TWST. DNA & Bio Computing —
