Milad Abolhasani, NC State University
For the first time since the pandemic, the number of U.S. patent grants rose—increasing 3.8% in 2024 compared with 2023.
In addition to grants being up, U.S. patent applications were at an all-time high, up 3 percent from 418,111 in 2023 to 430,625 in 2024, an indicator the overall U.S. innovation economy is strong.
For the third year in a row, Samsung claimed the top spot. Contract chip maker TSMC stepped into second place, ahead of Qualcomm, which moved down to third. Apple and Huawei rounded out the top five, all ahead of IBM, which slipped to eighth place. IBM previously held the top spot for 29 consecutive years, but the company adopted a more selective patenting strategy and was unseated by Samsung two years ago.
Rankings at a glance
According to IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, Samsung tallied 6,377 patents in 2024, an increase of 3 percent from 2023. In fact, of all patents granted in the U.S. last year, Samsung took nearly 2 percent of the entire pie.
TSMC overcame Qualcomm for the second spot, bringing in 3,989 patents compared to 3,687 in 2023—an improvement of 8 percent. Qualcomm, meanwhile, slipped to third with a 11 percent decline in grants from 3,854 to 3,422. Apple jumped three places, landing in fourth this year. Google also climbed three spots to tenth place. Meanwhile, IBM, the former patent stalwart fell another four spots in 2024, but still remains in the top 10 this year.
The so-called Magnificent Seven tech companies—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia and Tesla—only the first four had enough patents to make the Top 50 and the latter three were conspicuously absent.
Fastest growing technologies
Since 2016 IFI CLAIMS has combed through a running five-year accumulation of patent applications to come up with its annual ranking of the 10 Fastest Growing Technologies. The company says basing the rankings on patent applications is a better proxy than grants for technologies that are currently progressing because the lag time is significantly shorter.
The top 10 fastest growing technologies are:
- Operating or servicing cells
- Working up raw materials other than ores to produce non-ferrous metals and compounds
- Recovery or working-up of waste materials
- Working-up of proteins for foodstuffs
- Cells or assemblies of cells
- Electrolytic production of inorganic compounds or non-metals
- Microorganisms
- ssRNA viruses
- Destroying solid waste
- Preparations for use in therapy
Interestingly, electrolytic methods claimed three of the top 10 spots on this year’s list, including the top spot. In fact, this is the first year “operating or servicing cells” has appeared on the list, at all. The technology rose 27 percent from 2020 to 2024 to make the jump. Toshiba is the top applicant in this technology with 316 patents over the past five years, followed by Panasonic (270) and Honda (258).
Three of the remaining spots deal with reducing waste and sustainable technologies. The stream of waste in the U.S. grew to 292.4 million tons in 2018, according to the most recent numbers from the EPA. That’s 4.9 pounds per person per day, up from 4.53 from the previous year. Eastman Chemical is the frontrunner in this arena with 239 patents.
“Clearly, companies inventing in these areas believe there are future profits to be had for innovations that make the world more sustainable. Another technology along the theme of sustainability that is growing quickly: working up protein from non-traditional sources, a necessity as the global population grows,” writes IFI Claims in their 2024 report.
Two other spots belong to technologies devoted to advancing therapeutics against diseases and viruses. The last technology, preparations for use in therapy, includes any inventions that formulate and administer protein-based drugs directly into a living organism. At the head of the class is a biopharmaceutical company named Immatics, which spun out of the University of Tübingen (Germany) in 2000. Over the past 5 years, the company has filed 226 patents. The University of Texas holds the second highest number of patents with 144. Big hospitals are also patenting in this area with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital among the most active filers.
Technologies for ssRNA viruses cover the introduction and manipulation of genetic material using DNA or RNA. GSK has applied for the most patents with this technology. Takeda Pharmaceuticals is also innovating here, as is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and BioNTech, half of the company behind the first successful mRNA vaccine. In fact, BioNTech filed a patent for using RNA to treat or prevent coronavirus in 202, and it was granted in 2024.
Notably, artificial intelligence/machine learning is absent from the list—because it’s no longer a growing technology that is poised to hit the innovation market soon: it’s now arrived.
“Despite all the market’s attention on AI, we saw technologies like machine learning, slope downward. But we’re not surprised by this,” said Ronald Kratz, CEO of IFI CLAIMS Patent Services. “Those were the fast growers that preceded the present AI bonanza and have been on our list in the years leading up to it.”