China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has released a draft proposal for a national brain-computer interface (BCI) industry standards framework, setting ambitious targets for the coming years. The proposal aims to establish a comprehensive standardization system by 2030, potentially unlocking significant opportunities in the consumer BCI market.

The draft guidelines, published by the MIIT's Science and Technology Department, outline a roadmap to develop and revise over 80 related standards by 2030. The plan also sets an interim target for 2028, which includes creating more than 40 standards, participating in the development of over 10 international standards, and promoting standard implementation among more than 100 companies. This initiative is designed to significantly boost China's participation and contribution to global BCI standard-setting.

Industry experts view the proposal as a crucial and executable roadmap for the rapidly evolving BCI sector. It provides clear phased objectives and a systematic path forward while incorporating consumer-grade BCI products into the standardization framework for the first time. This move is expected to catalyze growth in the market by providing much-needed regulatory clarity.

The draft proposal emphasizes a problem-oriented approach, addressing the current disconnect between the fast-paced development of artificial intelligence and the BCI industry. By unifying terminology, interface standards, data formats, and testing methods, the guidelines aim to reduce collaboration costs across the industrial chain. This should enable smoother integration of research outcomes, core components, algorithm platforms, and end products, fostering more effective collaboration between companies in different sectors.

The BCI standard system outlined in the proposal is structured around seven key components: foundational commonalities, hardware, software and algorithms, data and communication, products and systems, industry applications, and safety and governance. The guidelines explicitly prioritize the integration of life safety, ethical norms, data privacy, and security governance throughout the entire standardization process.

This initiative aligns with a previous joint policy from seven government departments that set a goal to cultivate two to three globally influential BCI companies and a number of specialized "little giant" firms by 2030, aiming to build an internationally competitive industrial ecosystem.

The draft categorizes BCI products into six main areas: medical devices, industrial production, consumer electronics, personal health, scientific research, and integrated applications. For the first time, it establishes standard foundations for non-medical scenarios such as consumer-grade brain-controlled devices and attention training tools, potentially opening up these markets by providing a clear compliance pathway.

In the medical field, the proposal introduces specific safety and governance standards. Products that qualify as medical devices will be strictly managed according to existing medical device regulations and standards. This dedicated framework for medical-grade BCI is expected to provide a basis for safety reviews of both invasive and non-invasive equipment, attracting orderly capital investment into this high-barrier sector.

Market projections for the BCI industry remain highly optimistic. The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology estimates that China's BCI industry could reach a scale of 10 to 14 billion yuan by 2030. Global forecasts from McKinsey suggest the medical application market for BCI could hit $40 billion in the same year.

Industry experts suggest focusing on four key areas going forward: medical rehabilitation devices, industrial safety monitoring, core chips and electrodes, and data security compliance. The establishment of standards for high-risk industries like power, mining, and metallurgy is expected to drive safety monitoring equipment into official industrial procurement catalogs. The maturation of medical device standards is also predicted to usher in a period of rapid growth for invasive neuromodulation, rehabilitation robots, and closed-loop stimulation systems.

Several listed companies are already actively positioning themselves in this space. Xiangyu Medical recently announced its fully independent research and development capabilities across the BCI chain, including self-produced core components like chips and electrodes. Hanwei Technology has reported technological breakthroughs in implantable flexible neural electrode materials and arrayed flexible electrodes. Chengdu Huawei Microelectronics has also revealed collaborations with universities on projects covering the full signal chain requirements for both invasive and non-invasive BCI.