A brain-computer interface product developed by Neuracle Technology is displayed during an expo in Shanghai on June 11. BAO GANSHENG/FOR CHINA DAILY
Concerted efforts made by companies, incubators, hospitals and the local government have been translated into the accelerated development of the brain-computer interface industry in Shanghai, said experts.
Neuro Space, a BCI industry cluster in southwestern Shanghai, is the city’s major step in tapping into the future-oriented industry. Companies have already taken up 60 percent of its office area since its official launch in June 2025.
A clear roadmap has been drafted. Major technology breakthroughs and medical applications should be made by the companies based in Neuro Space between 2027 and 2028. An internationally influential industry chain should be formed there by 2030, featuring 10 industry leaders as well as five to 10 products introduced into the market, according to Gu Yaoqiang, chairman of Shanghai New Hongqiao International Medical Center Construction Development Co Ltd — the manager of Neuro Space.
The ambition has a solid foundation. Neuracle Technology, with operations in Neuro Space, filed for a STAR Market IPO at the Shanghai Stock Exchange in June, aiming to become the first BCI company to float on the A-share market. In March, the company obtained the registration approval from the National Medical Products Administration for its implantable BCI system for hand motor function compensation as an innovative medical device, making it the world’s first approved implantable BCI Class III medical device.
“Our immediate goal is to open a new frontier for preserving brain health through surgery. Looking forward, BCI is not just about ‘repairing the brain’; it is about ‘augmenting the brain’, which means enabling direct communication between silicon chips and the biological brain. That is a grand and inspiring pursuit,” said Wang Yujing, Neuracle’s marketing director.
Mindtrix Technology, also operating in Neuro Space, expects its MXIRV1024 visual reconstruction system to enter the market by 2030 or 2031 upon Class III medical device registration, with the treatment package priced at around 300,000 yuan ($44,250), including surgery and rehabilitation.
The system is projected to offer the first-ever clinical solution for an estimated 10 million postnatally blind individuals in China, said Chen Wenkai, the company’s chief marketing officer.
Looking further ahead, the company plans to expand from vision restoration into broader sensory reconstruction — including hearing, touch and motor control — ultimately enabling bidirectional interaction between neural signals and algorithms, a step toward true carbon-silicon integration, he said.
Synlinx BCI Super Incubator was introduced into Neuro Space in July last year. So far, 25 companies have been introduced or nurtured by the incubator, with the combined financing exceeding 1 billion yuan.
For emerging technologies like BCI, incubators are vital, as they are responsible for locating the right project, and more importantly, helping startups cross the “valley of death” — from prototype finalization and type testing to medical device registration, said Gao Zhijun, Synlinx’s executive general manager.
After participating in clinical trials for many BCI companies, Wu Zehan, a neurosurgeon at Shanghai’s Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, sees his role differently.
“We clinicians are the bridge between patients and industry. We know which devices fit which patients, and we can channel patient needs back to the engineers,” he said, adding that stronger database management is indispensable to boost both research and clinical impact.
According to Wang Shouyan, professor of the Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence of Fudan University, the BCI industry actually dates back more than 50 years: various technologies were developed, but only a handful of them were transformed into commercial products.
“The lack of a bridge between universities and industries, and the extremely insufficient supply of talent are the major hurdles to be overcome. Chinese BCI startups are homogenized and lack original technologies. Therefore, institutes of our kind should shoulder more responsibility of reaching international cooperation and introducing global talent to Shanghai so that more disruptive technology breakthroughs can be achieved here,” Wang said.
In January 2025, the Shanghai municipal government released a five-year action plan to develop the BCI industry, saying that the city should take the lead in achieving clinical application for semi-invasive BCI interface products in 2027, and realize full-scale clinical application of BCI products in 2030.
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