Exclusive: Google dominates AI patent applications
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Google has overtaken IBM to become the leader in generative AI-related patents and also leads in the emerging area of agentic AI, according to data from IFI Claims shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: Patent filings, though they're not a direct proxy for innovation, indicate areas of keen research interest — and generative AI patent applications in the U.S. have risen by more than 50% in recent months.
- "The surge in applications for AI related patents is a sign companies are actively seeking protection for their AI technologies, leading to an increase in grants as well," IFI Claims spokesperson Lily Iacurci said in a statement to Axios.
In the patents-for-agents U.S. rankings, Google and Nvidia top the list, followed by IBM, Intel and Microsoft, according to an analysis released Thursday.
- Globally, Google and Nvidia also led the agentic patents list, but three Chinese universities also make the top 10, highlighting China's place as the chief U.S. rival in the field.
In global rankings for generative AI, Google was also the leader — but six of the top 10 global spots were held by Chinese companies or universities. Microsoft was No. 3, with Nvidia and IBM also in the top 10.
- IFI Claims identified only a single patent tied to China's DeepSeek, one for a method of constructing training data.
In U.S. rankings for generative AI, Google and Microsoft topped the list of U.S. patent applications, surpassing previous leader IBM.
- Also in the top 10 were Nvidia, Capital One, Samsung, Adobe, Intel and Qualcomm.
Many of the same names cropped up in the list of overall AI-related U.S. patent applications, with Google in the top spot, followed by Microsoft, IBM, Samsung and Capital One.
- Globally, Google topped the list, followed by Huawei and Samsung.
Neither Meta nor OpenAI ranked in the top 10, though OpenAI has stepped up its patent efforts over the past year, IFI's analysis found.
- Meta has concentrated efforts on open source development, and OpenAI says it intends to use its patents only "defensively."
By the numbers: Overall, the number of U.S. patent applications related to generative AI surged 56% last year, to 51,487. Granted patents in the U.S. also rose 32%.
- Generative AI made up 17% of AI-related U.S. patent applications, while agentic AI accounted for 7%. Globally, 23% of patent applications were related to generative AI and 5% to agentic AI.
- The study covers the 14-month period from February 2024 to April 2025.
