Chinese brain chip project accelerates human trials after initial success.
By Eduardo Baptista
March 31, 2025, 5:59 AM GMT-3 Updated March 31, 2025
BEIJING, March 31 (Reuters) – A partnership between a Chinese research institute and a technology company said on Monday it plans to implant its brain chip in 13 people by the end of this year, in a move that could see it surpass Elon Musk’s Neuralink in collecting patient data.
The Beijing-based Chinese Institute of Brain Research (CIBR) and NeuCyber NeuroTech implanted the Beinao No.1, a wireless and semi-invasive brain chip, in three patients last month and have 10 more implants scheduled for this year, said Luo Minmin, director of CIBR and chief scientist at NeuCyber.
NeuCyber, a state-owned company, has ambitions to conduct an even larger clinical trial.
“Next year, after we obtain regulatory approval, we will conduct formal clinical trials that will include about 50 patients,” Luo told reporters on the sidelines of the Zhongguancun Forum, a technology-focused event, in Beijing. He did not provide details about the funding or the duration of the trials.
The acceleration of human trials by CIBR and NeuCyber could make Beinao No.1 the brain chip with the largest number of patients in the world, underscoring China’s determination to catch up with leading foreign BCI (brain-computer interface) developers.
The American brain-computer interface company Synchron, whose investors include billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, is currently a global leader in clinical trials with 10 patients, six in the United States and four in Australia. Elon Musk’s Neuralink already has three people with the implant.
Neuralink is working on wireless brain chips that are inserted into the brain to maximize signal quality, while its competitors are working on semi-invasive chips, or brain-computer interface (BCI) systems, that are placed on the surface of the brain. Although this sacrifices signal quality, there is less risk of brain tissue damage and other post-surgical complications.
Videos released by state media this month showed patients suffering from some type of paralysis using the Beinao No. 1 brain chip to control a robotic arm that served a glass of water, even going so far as to transmit their thoughts to a computer screen.
“Since the news of the successful human trials of the Beinao No. 1 vaccine was released, we have received numerous requests for help,” Luo added.
Last year, CIBR and NeuCyber hadn’t even started human trials yet, announcing instead that an invasive chip they had developed, the Beinao No. 2, had been successfully tested on a monkey, which was then able to control a robotic arm.
Luo stated that a wireless version of the Beinao No.2, similar to Neuralink’s product, was being developed and that he expected the first human trial to take place within 12 to 18 months.
Synchronic recently announced a partnership with Nvidia to integrate the chipmaker’s AI platform into the company’s BCI systems. Luo stated that while CIBR and NeuCyber are in active negotiations with investors and eager to raise funds, companies interested in partnering on the Beinao project need to have a forward-looking vision and not just focus on making a quick profit.
“In the short term, as far as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are concerned, what can be sold is very limited,” Luo said, adding that Beinao had no ties to the Chinese military and was focused on helping patients suffering from different types of paralysis.
NeuCyber is owned by Zhongguancun Development Corporation, which generated more than 9 billion yuan ($1.24 billion) in revenue in 2023, according to Chinese corporate filings.
