Inside a Brain-Chip Startup in China | Bloomberg Primer

Why It Matters

NeuroXess’s progress signals China’s rapid ascent in the global BCI race, where commercial success will redefine medical care, consumer tech, and national security dynamics.

Key Takeaways

• NeuroXess implants enable paralyzed patients to control wheelchairs mentally
• China’s 15th Five‑Year Plan designates BCI as strategic industry
• Funding for Chinese brain‑chip startups doubled in 2025, despite US lead
• Partnerships with firms like Xiaomi aim to integrate BCI into smart homes
• Regulatory hurdles and neural‑privacy concerns challenge commercial viability

Summary

The Bloomberg Primer takes viewers inside NeuroXess, a Shanghai‑based brain‑computer interface (BCI) startup that implanted a strip‑electrode chip in Mr. Zhang, a quadriplegic who now steers his wheelchair and trains to operate a robotic exoskeleton.

The segment outlines how China’s aggressive policy push—highlighted in the 15th Five‑Year Plan—has earmarked BCI as a strategic industry, doubled funding in 2025, and approved its first invasive commercial BCI in 2026. Companies rely on AI to filter noisy neural signals, and NeuroXess’s less‑invasive strip design aims to reduce scar tissue and extend device lifespan.

Notable examples include a collaboration with Xiaomi to link BCI control to smart‑home devices, a manufacturing plant targeting 10,000 units annually, and a $165 million national brain‑science fund supporting the sector. Mr. Zhang’s year‑long trial underscores both the therapeutic promise and the technical challenges of long‑term implantation.

The broader significance lies in the race to commercialize BCI technology, balancing high surgical costs, insurance coverage, and emerging neural‑privacy regulations against potential applications beyond medicine, from consumer tech to defense. Success will determine whether China can close the gap with U.S. rivals and shape the future of human‑machine integration.

Original Description

Brain-computer interfaces could dramatically alter how humans interact with technology. Today, startups around the world are racing to get their devices approved for commercial use. China in particular is moving quickly, earmarking BCI as a strategic industry. The country also recently approved its first BCI for commercial application.

On this episode of Bloomberg Primer, we explore the technology behind BCI and visit Shanghai-based startup NeuroXess, which is conducting a year-long test in a paralyzed patient.

00:00 - 01:54 Intro

01:54 - 04:16 What is a brain-computer interface

04:16 - 04:47 Fundraising

04:47 - 09:07 NeuroXess

09:07 - 12:15 How BCI could change the future

#Tech #China #Computers

Bloomberg Primer cuts through the complex jargon to reveal the business behind technologies poised to transform global markets. This six-part, planet-spanning series offers a comprehensive look at the "impossible" industries vying to shape our future.

Watch more: https://www.youtube.com/show/VLPLqq4LnWs3olWuFFpsiq0cFkGs7WMb6MtA?sbp=QAE%3D

--------

Like this video? Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/Bloomberg?sub_confirmation=1

Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com for just $1.99 your first month: https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions?in_source=YoutubeOriginals

Bloomberg Originals offers bold takes for curious minds on today’s biggest topics. Hosted by experts covering stories you haven’t seen and viewpoints you haven’t heard, you’ll discover cinematic, data-led shows that investigate the intersection of business and culture. Exploring every angle of climate change, technology, finance, sports and beyond, Bloomberg Originals is business as you’ve never seen it.

Subscribe for business news, but not as you've known it: exclusive interviews, fascinating profiles, data-driven analysis, and the latest in tech innovation from around the world.

Visit our partner channel Bloomberg News for global news and insight in an instant.