The Download: China’s brain implant ambitions

This is today’s edition of The Download , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. China has approved the world’s first invasive brain-computer chip—here’s what’s next Sitting in the courtyard of his house in China’s Henan province last October, Dong Hui decided to try holding a pen. Six years after a car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, he slowly wrote his name, “Thank you,” and the date. The breakthrough was made possible by a brain implant called NEO. In March, it became the world’s first invasive brain-computer interface approved for use beyond clinical trials. The approval is expected to accelerate China’s push to become a global leader in brain implants. Read the full story on how China reached this milestone—and what it means for the future of brain-computer interfaces . —You Xiaoying The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Nvidia is launching its first AI chip for personal computers The RTX Spark will power laptops from Dell, HP, Microsoft, and others. ( BBC ) + They’re being designed specifically to run AI agents. ( WSJ $) + The first devices are set to launch on Windows PCs in the fall. ( CNBC ) + The move marks a challenge to Apple and Intel. ( FT $) 2 The US is stopping exports of AI chips to Chinese firms abroad It’s closed a loophole allowing exports to Chinese subsidiaries. ( Reuters $) + Which may have enabled unlicensed access to Nvidia chips. ( Al Jazeera ) + Export curbs have led China to redesign its chip industry. ( MIT Technology Review ) 3 Surgeons have transplanted pig liver and kidneys into a living person The clinically dead recipient’s organs worked for almost five days. ( Nature ) + Pig organs could ease transplant shortages. ( Guardian ) + Putin says organ transplants could grant immortality. ( MIT Technology Review ) 4 The US, Australia, and UK will defend seabed cables with underwat