IBM Leads in Quantum Computing, Ford in Driverless Car Patents
- Top-growing technologies include AI, neural networks: Study
- American companies lead in technology innovations in 2020
Artificial intelligence, quantum computers and autonomous vehicles are among the fastest-growing areas of technology, with American companies often in the lead, according to a new study of U.S. patents issued over the past five years.
International Business Machines Corp. received the most patents in machine learning and quantum computers, while Ford Motor Co. is the most active in areas of vehicle navigation and control systems, according to the analysis by Fairview Research’s IFI Claims Patent Services.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 352,013 patents last year, a 1% decrease that’s likely attributable to work-flow changes because of the coronavirus pandemic, said IFIClaims Chief Executive Mike Baycroft. IBM topped the list of patent recipients for the 28th year with 9,130 patents, while Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea was second with 6,415 new patents issued last year.
Of the top-10 fastest growing fields, IBM also was No. 1 in areas of quantum computers, machine learning and computer systems using neural networks that imitate how the human brain works. Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp. also ranked in the top five of those three areas.