Latest news with #brainchip
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Neuralink Raises $650 Million in Late-Stage Funding Round
Neuralink Corp., Elon Musk's brain chip company, raised $650 million in a Series E funding round. At least 11 investment firms, including ARK Investment Management, Founders Fund and Sequoia Capital, participated in the round, according to a statement released Monday. Since the previous funding round in August 2023, the company said it has enrolled five patients with severe paralysis and announced a clinical trial in Abu Dhabi on May 14.
TechCrunch
4 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Elon Musk's Neuralink closes a $650M Series E
In Brief Elon Musk's brain computer interface startup Neuralink closed a $650 million funding round, the company announced in a blog post on Monday. The Series E fundraise included investors such as ARK Invest, Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital, and Thrive Capital, among others. Neuralink last raised a $280 million Series D funding round in 2023, with an additional $43 million tranche added months later. Since then, Neuralink's brain chip technology has made some significant leaps. The company says it has now conducted more human clinical trials, implanting its brain chips in five individuals with severe paralysis. In May, Neuralink received breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a program intended to speed up development, assessment, and review processes for experimental technologies. Semafor reported last week that this latest deal values Neuralink at around $9 billion pre-money.
Arabian Business
15-05-2025
- Health
- Arabian Business
Elon Musk's Neuralink launches first international clinical trial in Abu Dhabi
Neuralink, the brain-chip startup founded by Elon Musk, announced the launch of their first clinical trial in the Middle East, UAE-PRIME, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in partnership with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH). Abu Dhabi will also be the first international site outside North America for the clinical trial by the Fremont, California-based company. Neuralink's brain-chip trial in Abu Dhabi Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), said Neuralink's UAE-PRIME clinical trial marks a powerful moment for the future of health. 'In collaboration with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, we are proud to enable the safe and responsible advancement of brain-computer interface technology, offering renewed hope to individuals living with severe neurological conditions,' he said. Al Mansoori also noted that the partnership exemplifies Abu Dhabi's commitment to innovation in health and life sciences, driving the acceleration of breakthrough technologies that are purposefully tested, ethically governed, and made accessible to patients around the world. A LinkedIn post by Neuralink read: 'We're launching our first clinical trial in the Middle East at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in partnership with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi! The UAE-PRIME trial explores how individuals with motor and speech impairment can use thought to control devices & communicate.' Neuralink said this is an important step towards making the company's groundbreaking technology available worldwide to transform the lives of millions affected by debilitating neurological conditions. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi said in an Instagram post that it is proud to be the first hospital outside North America to partner with Neuralink on the UAE-PRIME trial. 'This milestone reflects our leadership in medical innovation and our commitment to transforming lives,' the post said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (@clevelandclinicabudhabi) Driven by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the UAE continues to emerge as a global launchpad for transformative health technologies and next-generation care, it said.
The National
15-05-2025
- Health
- The National
Elon Musk's Neuralink to test brain chip in UAE
The UAE will host the first clinical trials outside the US of a wireless brain chip made by tech billionaire Elon Musk's Neuralink company, which is designed to improve the lives of paralysed people. The Department of Health Abu Dhabi on Wednesday said it has teamed up with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Neuralink to launch the trial programme, known as UAE-PRIME. Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, chairman of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, said the development marks a significant step in developing life science in the region. The chip is meant to improve the lives of quadriplegic patients who have lost the ability to control their bodies below the neck. By inserting the Neuralink device – about the size of a one dirham coin – into the brain, users can control a computer or mobile device using the power of thought. 'In collaboration with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, we are proud to enable the safe and responsible advancement of brain-computer interface technology, offering renewed hope to individuals living with severe neurological conditions,' said Mr Al Mansoori. 'Abu Dhabi's commitment to innovation in health and life sciences – driving the acceleration of breakthrough technologies that are purposefully tested, ethically governed, and made accessible to patients around the world.' Neuralink goal is to connect people's brains to computers, to help tackle complex health conditions. Research and development of the N1 device aims to restore capabilities such as vision, motor function and speech. The device's use could be expanded beyond medical problems and into everyday life. Implants are inserted using a special surgical robot with precision capabilities exceeding the human hand. It attaches more than a thousand tiny electrodes into brain tissue. The implant has been tested on three people to date. Mr Musk also claims the research could expand how we experience the world around us. The tech billionaire and adviser to US President Donald Trump is not the only investor hoping to capitalise on brain power. The rapidly evolving brain-computer interface market has been joined by Apple, which has collaborated with US start-up Synchron to develop a similar device. A less invasive Stentrode device is similar to a stent used to inflate blocked arteries, and is inserted into a vein close to the brain's motor cortex. Once in place, the device's 16 electrodes detect brain signals and translate them into digital commands to navigate through Apple devices. Ten patients have experienced the Synchron device, since testing began in 2019.
Al Bawaba
06-05-2025
- Health
- Al Bawaba
Neuralink chip lets paralyzed patient edit video with his brain signals
Published May 6th, 2025 - 11:40 GMT ALBAWABA – In a remarkable achievement, a paralyzed and nonverbal patient with a Neuralink chip was able to edit a video using only his brain signals. Also Read Neuralink to implant its brain chips in Canada Paralyzed patient edits video using Neuralink chip and brain signals Brad Smith is the third person in the world to receive Neuralink's brain-computer implant, and the first with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)—a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal the disease advanced, Smith lost control over his muscles, including the ability to speak and even breathe on his own. Smith was able to edit a video using the Neuralink brain implant and his brain signals—a feat that quickly went viral online. In the video, which he posted on YouTube, Smith explained how he used the implant to control the mouse cursor on a MacBook Pro through a brain-computer interface (BCI), allowing him to edit the very same video. Notably, the Neuralink chip contains over 1,000 electrodes. According to Smith, the device does not directly read thoughts but instead analyzes neural signals related to movement. After several attempts, Smith discovered that imagining the movement of his tongue was more effective for controlling the cursor than imagining hand movements. Smith also managed to create a synthetic version of his voice using artificial intelligence (AI) and old recordings of his speech. This allowed him to narrate the video he posted, using his AI-generated virtual voice. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
