One company is connecting machines to human thought. The other is building machines that think like humans. Welcome to the brain-tech era, and yes, you can invest in part of it.
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It sounds like the start of a movie, but it’s very real. While Neuralink is focused on creating interfaces that link the human brain directly to computers, BrainChip is designing processors that mimic the brain itself. One is surgically embedded into people. The other is being plugged into machines across defense, robotics, and edge computing. Together, they offer two sides of the same future, a future where intelligence is no longer bound by biology or silicon alone.
Neuralink Pushes Thought-Controlled Tech into Human Trials
Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, is building brain–computer interfaces designed to let people control devices with pure thought. In early 2024, the company successfully implanted its device into a human patient. That patient was able to play online chess without using a keyboard, mouse, or controller, just brain activity.
The company’s short-term goal is to restore basic communication and motor control to people with paralysis. Musk has said Neuralink aims to give humans a way to keep pace with artificial intelligence. It is a mission that borders on transhumanism, but Neuralink is already in human trials and is backed by FDA clearance.
Despite its media attention, Neuralink is not a public company. It is privately held, and unless you’re a venture capital fund or one of Musk’s inner circle, you’re not getting a piece of it, at least not yet.
BrainChip Builds Neuromorphic Chips That Mimic the Brain
If Neuralink wants to read your thoughts, BrainChip wants to think like them. BrainChip Holdings (AU:BRN) (BRCHF), listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker BRN, builds neuromorphic processors. These are chips designed to process information in the same way biological neurons do. The company’s flagship chip, called Akida, doesn’t just run AI models — it learns directly on the device. This allows machines to make decisions locally, instantly, and with very little power.
Unlike cloud-dependent systems that need massive servers and constant connectivity, Akida enables real-time intelligence on the edge. It is already being tested in radar systems, smart sensors, robotics, and surveillance equipment. Akida ships in a compact M.2 format, making it easy to integrate into real-world devices that need fast, efficient, on-site intelligence.
While BrainChip is still pre-revenue in many respects, and operating at a loss, it remains one of the only public companies purely focused on brain-inspired computing. Investors who want exposure to neuromorphic technology do not have many other options. Larger companies like Intel or IBM are exploring similar technologies, but BrainChip is one of the few focused entirely on the architecture of intelligence itself.
Two Companies Take Different Paths Toward the Same Goal
Neuralink and BrainChip are working toward the same long-term goal. One is trying to bring computers closer to the brain. The other is bringing the brain’s function into computers. Neuralink is medical, invasive, and currently reserved for extreme use cases. BrainChip is commercial, software-driven, and already in field testing.
Both companies are part of a broader shift, a world in which intelligence is not exclusive to living organisms, and cognition itself becomes programmable. This may not be the full sci-fi reality of uploading consciousness, but it is clearly the first step.
BrainChip Offers Public Investors a Direct Play on Sci-Fi Tech
Neuralink may be the more provocative story, but it is off-limits to retail investors. BrainChip, by contrast, is trading on the open market. While it is not without risk, and certainly not profitable yet, it offers a rare entry point into a technology sector that is years ahead of the mainstream.
BrainChip is not marketing fantasy. Its processors are being deployed in real scenarios, including defense and industrial use cases. If the neuromorphic field matures, and BrainChip manages to land significant design wins, its stock could reprice dramatically. For now, it remains a speculative but pure exposure to the silicon side of brain-tech.
Is BrainChip a Buy?
Investors considering BrainChip should note that while the company is building ambitious, sci-fi-grade technology, the fundamentals are still catching up. TipRanks’ AI Stock Analysis tool gives BrainChip Holdings a rating of 39 and labels it Underperform. This score is driven by persistent losses, negative cash flow, and a bearish technical outlook, compounded by a negative P/E ratio.
While no traditional Wall Street analysts currently cover BrainChip, TipRanks offers an AI-generated Stock Analysis tool, making it one of the few tools providing insight into emerging, thinly-covered tech plays like this one. The AI model highlights significant valuation risk and weak momentum, information retail investors should weigh against the company’s long-term narrative.
Click on the image below to explore the full AI analysis on BrainChip via TipRanks.
