OpenAI invests heavily in brain-computer interfaces; Altman is set to compete with Musk again.

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Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface company co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has completed a $252 million funding round, making OpenAI the largest investor. The company is dedicated to developing devices that connect the human brain to computers, with the goal of seamlessly linking humans and artificial intelligence. This move marks the extension of the competition between Altman and Musk from the field of artificial intelligence into the brain-computer interface (BCI) sector.

According to a Bloomberg report on the 16th, this financing round was led by Bain Capital, with OpenAI as the largest investor. Other investors include Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Corporation, who also owns his own brain tech company, Starfish Neuroscience. Merge stated that it does not plan to raise further funds in the near future.

Merge plans to first develop products for medical use, followed by offerings for general consumers. The company has not yet disclosed its valuation. According to PitchBook data, among major brain-computer interface companies, only Neuralink has completed a single round of financing larger than Merge’s.

This round of financing highlights the expectations of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors for the future: when artificial intelligence becomes advanced enough, humans will be willing or even compelled to enhance their brains to fully utilize AI. Just as smartphones provide an entryway to the digital world, experimental brain technology is being designed to simplify this experience.

Technical Approach: Avoiding Invasive Implants

Unlike competitors such as Neuralink, Merge aims to develop non-invasive brain-computer interface devices. Co-founder and Caltech professor Mikhail Shapiro stated that this requires solving tough scientific and engineering challenges, which is why Merge was set up as a research lab.

"The founding concept of Merge Labs is that by focusing on these problems in a coordinated and well-resourced way, we can solve them faster," said Shapiro, who has studied the brain for decades.

One of the company’s core goals is to build high-bandwidth devices capable of handling large amounts of data. "If we can connect to the brain at higher bandwidth, we should be able to do things that current interfaces with limited capabilities cannot," Shapiro said. But Merge states that it is too early to discuss specific applications.

Competition Intensifies: From AI to Brain-Computer Interfaces

The launch of Merge escalates the rivalry between Altman and Musk. The two were once close business partners and both co-founders of OpenAI, but Musk left due to differences. Altman has previously invested in Neuralink.

Musk founded Neuralink in 2016 to develop implantable devices to enhance human capabilities and ensure humans are not left behind by advances in artificial intelligence. Experimental brain implants have already helped patients with paralysis and other severe illnesses control computers with their thoughts and attempt to convert thought into spoken language.

According to Bloomberg, at a dinner with reporters last August, Altman said he hoped to have ChatGPT respond via thought. The next month, the Neuralink president discussed a similar idea. Other researchers are also studying devices that can directly read the words people attempt or intend to say from the brain.

Industry Trends: Capital Floods Into a New Track

The brain-computer interface sector has grown rapidly in recent years, with advances in AI providing the computational power needed for brain implants. Over $2 billion has been raised in the U.S. for this industry, while similar companies in China are also developing rapidly with government support. Some companies are working on external, headset-like products that do not require surgery, believing these will be more attractive.

Merge has an office in the San Francisco Bay Area, currently employs fewer than 50 people, and plans to continue recruiting. The company has not yet appointed a president or CEO.

Altman personally serves as a member of Merge’s board, meaning that even if he is no longer OpenAI CEO, he can remain in the role. OpenAI has the right to a board observer seat but has not chosen a representative yet. The board also includes Merge’s four other co-founders.

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