As 2026 dawns, China's brain-computer interface (BCI) industry is greeted by a flurry of positive developments. Clinically, there have been remarkable breakthroughs, such as high-level paraplegia patients successfully operating devices through mere thought. In the non-invasive BCI domain, the "unicorn" company BrainCo has secured financing of approximately 2 billion yuan, marking the second-largest funding round in this sector globally. On the policy front, Sichuan province has clearly defined the medical service pricing for invasive brain-computer interfaces.
Driven by technological innovations, robust capital influx, and supportive policies, the commercialization journey of China's BCI industry is gaining momentum across the board. Industry experts highlight that, as one of the six future industries explicitly identified in the proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan, BCI technology is propelled by multiple favorable factors. It is swiftly transitioning from a cutting-edge technological marvel to practical applications that significantly enhance people's livelihoods.
An embryonic trillion-yuan industry ecosystem is taking shape, signaling that the BCI sector is entering a strategic development opportunity window. (Here, the term "embryonic" aptly captures the nascent yet promising stage of the industry's growth, aligning with the context of a burgeoning and potentially massive economic sector.)