Neuralink, Elon Musk's controversial brain chip company, says it will implant 20,000 people a year.

Just over a year ago, Neuralink, the brain-machine interface ( BCI ) technology company founded by Elon Musk, announced that it had successfully implanted the first brain chip in a human .

Noland Arbaugh, after several years paralyzed , became the first person to receive such a device from the American billionaire's company. While this first attempt didn't go entirely as planned , Neuralink has gone ahead and implanted its brain chips in new patients . According to Musk's company, there are currently five human success stories .

Of course, coming from a company owned by the controversial magnate, the plans don't end there. According to internal documents cited by Bloomberg and published by Reuters , the company expects to reach annual revenue of $1 billion by 2031, thanks to the implantation of its chips in at least 20,000 people each year .

Three devices for three different functions

Such a forecast is supported by the development of three different versions of brain-machine interfaces:

On the one hand, there's Telepathy , a chip designed to allow people with paralysis to control devices using only their thoughts . It's already being tested on humans and has been in development for years, not without controversy .

On the other hand, the company is working on Blindsight , designed to restore vision in blind people .

Finally, one of the most recent developments is Deep , aimed at treating diseases such as Parkinson's and severe tremors .

Both Telepathy and Blindsight have already received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA (the U.S. drug regulatory agency), which has expedited their development and implementation processes.

There are already five people using the Neuralink chip.

Neuralink began human clinical trials in 2024 , after receiving the green light from the FDA. Currently, according to the company, five patients with paralysis are using the brain chip to interact with computers and devices through their thoughts.

Musk's company hopes to secure regulatory approval for its Telepathy device by 2029, with plans to perform 2,000 surgeries a year and generate $100 million in revenue, according to the report.

By 2030, with the arrival of Blindsight , that number would increase to 10,000 annual operations and more than $500 million in revenue.

Own clinics and commercial expansion

To scale the use of these devices, Neuralink plans to open five high-capacity clinics over the next six years , in addition to partnering with external hospitals. In total, the goal is to reach 20,000 procedures annually by 2031 , with all versions of the chip in operation.

Since its founding in 2016, the company has raised more than $1.3 billion and is currently valued at nearly $9 billion, according to data reported by Reuters .

Neuralink's ambitious plan is not without challenges. The company must overcome regulatory barriers, scale production and surgical operations, and convince patients, doctors, and insurers of the safety and usefulness of its devices.

In addition, it competes with other companies developing brain-computer interfaces, particularly in China . There are also many success stories being published with non-invasive devices, such as this Meta machine that converts thoughts into written words on a screen .