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Elon Musk to unveil Neuralink progress with real-time neuron demonstration this week
Elon Musk’s brain-machine interface company, Neuralink, has an event scheduled for later this week to update the public on its progress since last year’s presentation. While the agenda is speculative for the most part, one expectation is a live demonstration of neuron activity.
“Will show neurons firing in real-time on August 28th. The matrix in the matrix,” Musk tweeted at the end of July.
He also revealed a few other clues about the early fall announcement at the beginning of the year. “Wait until you see the next version vs what was presented last year. It’s *awesome*,” he wrote in February. “The profound impact of high bandwidth, high precision neural interfaces is underappreciated. Neuralink may have this in a human as soon as this year. Just needs to be unequivocally better than Utah Array, which is already in some humans & has severe drawbacks.”
As its name implies, the roles of neuron activities are very important to Neuralink’s technology. The venture’s long-term goal of obtaining human symbiosis with artificial intelligence (AI) begins by connecting electrodes throughout the brain and reading its neuron signals en masse. Gathering huge amounts of data from the signals gradually teaches Neuralink’s software how they are used by the brain to communicate with the rest of the body, ultimately leading to a certain amount of replication and direction. The possibilities of such a capability seem endless.
Musk has hinted at some of the health-focused capabilities Neuralink’s technology could develop, specifically in individuals who are neurologically compromised. Installation of a chip replacing a small portion of the human skull, for instance, could restore limb function, improve human movement, resolve issues with eyesight and hearing, and help with diseases like Parkinson’s. There is also the possibility that the implementation of a Neuralink device into a brain could pave the way for hindering brain issues like epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and strokes.
One of Neuralink’s inventions already revealed is a surgical robot for inserting electrodes into the brain. The devices are connected by flexible “threads” measuring between 4 and 6 μm or, about 1/3 the diameter of human hair, capable of transferring high volumes of data from the brain. The design has been tested on at least 19 different animals with robots with around an 87% success rate, according to the venture’s presentation last year. Human trials are possibly on the schedule for 2020, and this aspect may be part of Friday’s update.
Neuralink released a white paper in 2019 and currently has four published patent applications, all which expand on the particulars of the technology already revealed.
While the medical possibilities of Neuralink’s work are incredible on their own, Musk’s involvement was initiated by a desire to help humans keep up with AI. “I don’t love the idea of being [a computer’s] house cat, but what’s the solution? I think one of the solutions that seems maybe the best is to add an AI layer,” he half-joked at Code Conference 2016. Hopefully, the next presentation will provide some insight about Neuralink’s progress in that direction as well, even if it’s still purely hypothetical.
The Neuralink update event will be held August 28th and is expected to have a live stream.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Starbase, TX included in $84.6 million coastal funding round
The funds mark another step in the state’s ongoing beach restoration and resilience efforts along the Gulf Coast.
Elon Musk’s Starbase, Texas has been included in an $84.6 million coastal funding round announced by the Texas General Land Office (GLO). The funds mark another step in the state’s ongoing beach restoration and resilience efforts along the Gulf Coast.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham confirmed that 14 coastal counties will receive funding through the Coastal Management Program (CMP) Grant Cycle 31 and Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CEPRA) program Cycle 14. Among the Brownsville-area recipients listed was the City of Starbase, which is home to SpaceX’s Starship factory.
“As someone who spent more than a decade living on the Texas coast, ensuring our communities, wildlife, and their habitats are safe and thriving is of utmost importance. I am honored to bring this much-needed funding to our coastal communities for these beneficial projects,” Commissioner Buckingham said in a press release.
“By dedicating this crucial assistance to these impactful projects, the GLO is ensuring our Texas coast will continue to thrive and remain resilient for generations to come.”
The official Starbase account acknowledged the support in a post on X, writing: “Coastal resilience takes teamwork. We appreciate @TXGLO and Commissioner Dawn Buckingham for their continued support of beach restoration projects in Starbase.”
The funding will support a range of coastal initiatives, including beach nourishment, dune restoration, shoreline stabilization, habitat restoration, and water quality improvements.
CMP projects are backed by funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, alongside local partner matches. CEPRA projects focus specifically on reducing coastal erosion and are funded through allocations from the Texas Legislature, the Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax, and GOMESA.
Checks were presented in Corpus Christi and Brownsville to counties, municipalities, universities, and conservation groups. In addition to Starbase, Brownsville-area recipients included Cameron County, the City of South Padre Island, Willacy County, and the Willacy County Navigation District.
Elon Musk
The Boring Company wins key approval for Nashville Music City Loop
The approval allows The Boring Company to use state-owned right-of-way along Tennessee’s highway system.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have jointly approved The Boring Company’s lease application and enhanced grading permit for the Music City Loop.
The approval allows The Boring Company to use state-owned right-of-way along Tennessee’s highway system, clearing a key hurdle for the privately funded tunnel project that aims to connect downtown Nashville to Nashville International Airport in approximately eight minutes, the Office of the TN Governor wrote in a press release.
“Tennessee continues to lead the nation in finding innovative solutions to accommodate growth, and in partnership with The Boring Company, we are exploring possibilities we couldn’t achieve on our own,” Gov. Lee said in a statement.
“The Boring Company is grateful for the leadership and hard work of federal, state, and local agencies in bringing this project to a shovel-ready point,” The Boring Company President Steve Davis said. “Music City Loop will be a safe, fast, and fun public transportation system, and we are excited to build it in Nashville.”
With lease and permitting approvals secured, The Boring Company will move forward with the Loop system’s construction immediately. The first segment of the Loop system is expected to be operational by the end of the year.
The Music City Loop will run beneath state-owned roadways and is designed to connect downtown Nashville to the airport, as well as lower Broadway to West End. The project will be 100% privately funded.
“The Music City Loop shows what’s possible when we leverage private-sector innovation and American ingenuity to solve transportation challenges,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “TDOT’s lease approval will help advance this ambitious project as we work to reduce congestion and make travel more seamless for the American people.”
The Boring Company described the Loop as an all-electric, zero-emissions, high-speed underground transportation system that will meet or exceed safety standards. The Vegas Loop, for one, earned a 99.57% safety and security rating from the DHS and the TSA, the highest score ever awarded to any transportation system.
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Tesla China extends its 7-year financing promotion once more
The move marks Tesla’s second extension of the program this year.
Tesla has extended its seven-year ultra-low-interest and five-year interest-free financing programs in China once more, pushing the offers through March 31, the end of the first quarter.
The move marks Tesla’s second extension of the program this year. The financing plan was first introduced on January 6 as a strategy aimed at offsetting higher ownership costs ahead of China’s planned 5% NEV purchase tax in 2026.
The original promotion was set to expire at the end of January but was extended to the end of February. This has now been extended again through March.
The repeated extensions reflect growing competitive pressure. Tesla’s 2025 retail sales in China totaled 625,698 units, representing a 4.78% year-on-year decline, as per data compiled by CNEV Post. That being said, this decline is partly caused by the Model Y’s changeover to its new variant in Q1 2025, which resulted in lower sales during the quarter.
In early 2026, the Model Y also lost its position as China’s top-selling EV in January to Xiaomi’s YU7, though this was also a month when Tesla primarily exported vehicles to foreign territories, which pushed local delivery numbers lower.
During January 2026, Tesla China exported 50,644 vehicles, roughly 1.7 times higher than the same month a year ago and more than 15 times higher than December’s level.
Tesla’s financing push has not gone unanswered. BYD this week introduced its own seven-year low-interest plan across its Ocean lineup and Fang Cheng Bao sub-brand, also valid through March 31. Other competitors including NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, and Geely Auto have already rolled out extended-term loan programs as well.
Elon Musk’s Starbase, TX included in $84.6 million coastal funding round
The Boring Company wins key approval for Nashville Music City Loop
