Neuralink Update – September 2025

Clinical Trials and Product Development - Neuralink launched a clinical trial in Great Britain in partnership with UCL and Newcastle hospitals, involving up to seven participants, to explore restoring digital autonomy to individuals with severe paralysis [1] - Neuralink is conducting trials across six hospital sites in four countries for controlling digital devices telepathically and is seeking participants for speech restoration at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, with plans to expand to the US within the next year [1] - Neuralink plans to implant in the speech cortex next quarter to directly decode attentive words from brain signals to speech [1] - In 2026, Neuralink plans to triple the number of electrodes from 1,000 to 3,000 for more capabilities and have its first blind sight participant to enable navigation [1] - By 2028, Neuralink aims to reach more than 25,000 channels per implant, enable multiple implants, access any part of the brain for psychiatric conditions and pain, and integrate with AI [1] Competitive Landscape - Sam Altman is co-founding Merge Labs, aiming to raise $250 million from OpenAI and other investors to compete with Neuralink, valuing Merge Labs at $850 million [1] - Coinbase co-founder Fred Ersome's company, Nudge, raised $100 million to build a helmet that beams low-intensity focused ultrasound into the brain [3] - LinkedIn co-founder Reed Hoffman is leading a $12 million funding round in a similar company [4] Patient Progress and Impact - Neuralink successfully completed surgeries on participant 8 and participant 9, aiming for at least 20 participants before the end of the year [7] - Audrey Cruz is the first woman in the world with a Neuralink BCI, allowing her to control a laptop cursor with her mind telepathically [8][10] - Nick Ray, participant 8, reports regaining digital autonomy and creative expression through the Neuralink implant [15] - Jake Snider, Neuralink's seventh patient, initially set a world record for cursor control with a brain-computer interface at 10.08 bits per second, later surpassed by Nick Ray at 10.39 bits per second [16] - RJ Tanner, Neuralink's fifth participant, has regained a sense of independence, controlling his computer, phone, and TV, and interacting with his daughter through a robotic arm simulation [21][22][23]