Neuralink, a brain-interface startup co-founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has secured a fresh $650 million in funding to deepen clinical testing of its brain implant device and scale its operations globally.
The company, which is developing advanced neural interface technology, announced the funding round on Monday, marking a significant leap toward commercial deployment of its coin-sized implant. Currently, five individuals with severe paralysis are participating in Neuralink’s trials, using the implant to operate digital devices and interact with their environment solely through brain signals.
With clinical trials already underway in three unnamed countries, Neuralink says the funding will enable it to reach more patients with unmet medical needs. The company’s brain-chip system uses 64 ultra-thin threads to detect neural activity, translating thoughts into commands for machines. While similar technologies exist within the neuroscience field, Neuralink’s scale, capital backing, and bold ambition set it apart. The company said its technology aims to restore independence to people with disabilities and redefine possibilities in brain-machine interaction.
The development has been buoyed by regulatory support from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which recently granted “Breakthrough Device” status to Neuralink’s speech-restoring implant. A similar designation was earlier awarded to its vision-restoring system, allowing for fast-tracked development and review. Investors in this funding round include top-tier venture capital firms such as ARK Invest, Thrive Capital, Sequoia Capital, Qatar Investment Authority, Lightspeed, Founders Fund, and DFJ Growth. According to Semafor, the company had earlier raised $600 million at a $9 billion valuation—figures that are now expected to climb higher.
Meanwhile, Musk is consolidating his focus on his array of tech ventures, including Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, Neuralink, and the social platform X. Reports indicate that Morgan Stanley is arranging a $5 billion debt package and a $300 million equity offering for xAI, which could value the artificial intelligence company at $113 billion. While rivals like Paradromics and Synchron are also racing to develop similar brain-computer interfaces—Paradromics recently completed its first human implant—Neuralink is positioning itself at the forefront of the neurotechnology revolution. Musk’s earlier remark about implanting the chip in himself no longer seems implausible, as the line between science fiction and reality continues to blur.