The number of international patents filed last year for digital communications and semiconductors saw strong growth, reflecting the surge in artificial intelligence investments, the United Nations reported on Friday.
Worldwide, international patent applications rose 0.7 per cent in 2025 to 275,900 filings, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the UN agency responsible for patents and innovation, in its annual overview.
Carsten Fink, WIPO’s chief economist, said that beneath this modest overall increase, innovation activity remained robust in digital technologies.
Digital communication, the top category for international patent filings, grew by six per cent last year, as did semiconductor patent applications. These recorded the fastest growth among the ten major technology fields in 2025, Fink told a press conference.
“This pattern clearly reflects the continuing importance of digital technologies as a driver of innovation worldwide,” he said.
“It also likely reflects the surge of investments in artificial intelligence, which is increasing demand for advanced computer infrastructure and chips.”
China pulling ahead of the US
China filed the most international patent applications last year, with 73,718, up 5.3 per cent.
The United States submitted 52,617, down three per cent, marking its fourth consecutive year of decline.
They were followed by Japan with 47,922, South Korea with 25,016, and Germany with 16,441.
Chinese tech giant Huawei, the top filer since 2017, led again in 2025 with 7,523 applications, ahead of South Korea’s Samsung Electronics (4,698), US firm Qualcomm (3,227) and South Korea’s LG Electronics (2,400).
Overall, 16 of the top 20 applicants were from the information and communications technology sector.
“International patent filings — particularly in digital communication and semiconductor technologies — reflect how digital technologies continue to drive the global innovation landscape,” said Daren Tang, WIPO chief.
“AI is the latest engine of this growth and will increasingly transform how we innovate.”
Among the top 100 patent-filing companies, 32 were from Japan, 24 from China and 17 from the United States.
L'Oréal leads trademarks
International trademark applications fell by 1.5 per cent to 64,150 in 2025.
The largest number came from the United States (10,997), followed by Germany (6,106), China (5,636), France (4,026) and Britain (3,871).
Among companies, French cosmetics giant L'Oréal remained top for the fifth consecutive year, with 274 applications, while US gambling products firm Light and Wonder rose to second place with 105 applications.
Applications for international protection of industrial designs rose 9.4 per cent to 28,588 designs, with the largest category covering recording and communications equipment.
China led in the number of designs filed with 5,911, followed by Germany (4,530), the US (3,882), Switzerland (2,285) and Italy (2,015).
WIPO noted substantial increases from top filers Huawei and Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software, as well as US tech giant Apple.
Other leading companies included Procter & Gamble, Dutch electronics and medical device manufacturer Philips, and Samsung Electronics.
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