China well advanced in next-generation semiconductor development, reveals AI-driven study of innovations and trends in IC patent filings
Boston/Los Angeles. Today, we unveil a groundbreaking report on the global semiconductor patent landscape, produced by Global Prior Art (GPA) in collaboration with IPRally. Utilizing IPRally’s Custom AI Classifier as the primary research tool, this AI-driven study highlights critical trends, identifies key players, and challenges conventional perceptions in this high-stakes domain.
Global Prior Art (GPA), leveraging IPRally’s AI Classifier software in a research project, today announces the release of a comprehensive report exploring the patent and technology race driving the future of semiconductor design. This global competition carries significant implications for economic competitiveness and national defense.
The study combines decades of semiconductor expertise with an AI-powered classification system trained on curated patent data. This hybrid approach provides unprecedented visibility into the large, complex semiconductor patent landscape comprising 14,000 patents, yielding novel and sometimes unexpected findings for industry stakeholders, including:
- Overlooked Chinese progress
Contrary to common beliefs, China has made notable gains in advanced semiconductor development in recent years. 80% of Chinese next-gen transistor patents are filed only in China, posing a risk that non-Chinese semiconductor players will be blindsided. - Technology transition from FinFET to GAAFET
The shift from FinFET to GAAFET is occurring at a rapid pace and new GAAFET filings have already overtaken FinFET. - These are the technology leaders
Samsung dominates U.S. patent filings in FinFET while TSMC is tied with Samsung in the emerging GAAFET technology. Both companies are forging distinctive technological paths. Meanwhile, many European, Japanese, and U.S. firms are striving to catch up and former leaders, such as Intel, lag behind. - Top U.S. filers
TSMC, Samsung, and IBM are the leading filers of FinFET and GAAFET patents in the U.S., collectively holding about 50% of all patents in this segment.
“Our study design allowed us to conduct an unbiased analysis of the semiconductor patent landscape – independent of established classification systems, taxonomies and languages. We uncovered a revealing picture of this transformative space, its current state and its players, critical information and analysis not previously available. Only by combining human expertise with AI-powered classification were we able to gain these insights”, said Brendan Sever, Assistant Managing Director at Global Prior Art (GPA).
“IPRally was started to provide effortless access to technical information, and this study is a textbook example of how that mission can be put into practice. Being able to look at the patent landscape through your own lens – technically and semantically – is crucial for both precision and intuitiveness. In a field like semiconductors, with seminal innovations and incremental improvements, custom classification can uncover insights that traditional research and classification methods miss”, said Andreas Cehlinder, CCO at IPRally.
About IPRally
IPRally Technologies is a Finnish software company founded in 2018, with the goal of providing effortless access to technical information, advancing the quality of IP rights and accelerating innovation. IPRally’s SaaS web application empowers IP and R&D professionals by streamlining patent search, review, monitoring and portfolio analysis. At IPRally’s core is a proprietary Graph AI, designed to replicate the thought processes of patent professionals. In 2023, IPRally launched the conversational AI review assistant, Ask AI, and in 2024, it introduced the first patent search function that combines image search with Graph AI.
More information at: https://www.iprally.com
About Global Prior Art
Global Prior Art (GPA) is a pioneer and world leader operating at the intersection of intellectual property (IP), technology analysis and strategy. With over 40 years of experience in the microelectronics and semiconductors space GPA’s clients include many leading companies, VCs, and law firms. The firm’s custom consulting arm offers numerous services including custom support by the team which has deep expertise in advanced AI tools. GPA’s consulting leverages the in-depth technical knowledge and IP consulting experience of our full-time teams specializing in ICs, consumer products, medical device technology, software and telecom.
More information at: https://globalpriorart.com/
Assets
Read more and download the full report here.
Contact
Bruce Rubinger
Managing Director, Global Prior Art
rubinger@globalpriorart.com
Andreas Båsk, IPRally
Marketing & Communications Manager
andreas.bask@iprally.com
marketing@iprally.com
