Concept tracking of Hong Kong stocks | OpenAI enters the brain-computer interface industry, clinical technology breakthroughs in succession (with concept stocks)

On August 13, 2025, according to the Financial Times, OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, in collaboration with Worldcoin founder Alex Blania, have established a new company called Merge Labs to officially enter the brain-computer interface race and directly compete with Musk's Neuralink. Merge Labs' current round of financing is estimated at about $850 million, with the main funding coming from OpenAI Ventures, with Altman participating as a co-founder. Altman has previously proposed that humans and AI will eventually merge, with brain-computer interfaces and AI chatbots being the two main pathways to achieving this vision. ChatGPT has achieved the former, and Merge Labs will continue its layout in the field of brain-computer interfaces. OpenAI's entry into the brain-computer interface market is expected to have a profound impact on the industry. In China, brain-computer interfaces have achieved clinical breakthroughs in wireless minimally invasive, invasive, semi-invasive, and closed-loop stimulation routes: Xuanwu/Tiantan in collaboration with Tsinghua University have completed the wireless minimally invasive implantation of "NEO", Huashan, in collaboration with Ladder Medical and Brain Tiger Technology, have achieved high-precision brain control and mind-to-mind conversation, Tiantan/Peking Union Medical College Hospital's "Beinai No. 1" has achieved the world's first real-time decoding of Chinese, Tsinghua University and Pinchi Medical have closed-loop DBS to assist in intelligent treatment of Parkinson's disease, Nankai University has achieved clinical transformation of vascular intervention brain-computer interfaces in rehabilitation therapy. Internationally, Neuralink has achieved cursor control and lower limb movement in multiple patients, and invasive BCIs such as Synchron have entered clinical trials in multiple countries, signaling that global BCI is accelerating from experimentation to application. The patient pool for brain-computer interfaces is large, with 50 million people in China: (1) Neo BCI is aimed at 30 million patients with neurological function disorders, including 28 million stroke survivors, nearly 4 million spinal cord injury patients, and over 50,000 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients; (2) Closed-loop neurostimulation BCI is aimed at 20 million patients with drug-resistant neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and depression. On the one hand, the influx of significant funds and top talent will accelerate the development of technology; on the other hand, OpenAI's brand effect and market influence will attract more attention and investment, enhancing the social awareness and commercial value of brain-computer interfaces, thereby driving the development of the entire industry chain. Institutions continue to recommend focusing on brain-computer interfaces. In addition to the above events in terms of policy, the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Innovative Development of the Brain-Computer Interface Industry" clearly includes brain-computer interfaces as a future strategic emerging industry; at the local level, on August 9th, the Hubei Brain-Computer Interface Industry Innovation Development Alliance was established, and on August 12th, the "Zhejiang Province Accelerating the High-Quality Development of 'Artificial Intelligence + Medical and Health'" Action Plan (2025-2027) was released. CITIC SEC has released a research report stating that the brain-computer interface industry ecosystem is evolving rapidly, with the commercialization path becoming increasingly clear. The recommendations include focusing on: 1) leading companies that quickly implement medical-grade products; 2) innovative companies with excellent consumer product cultivation capabilities; 3) companies with key technological accumulation in brain-computer interfaces. Hong Kong-listed companies related to brain-computer interfaces include: Nanjing Panda (00553), Microport Neuro (02172), Heartcare-B (06609)