In this edition, IFI CLAIMS takes a look at the AI patent boom, sits down with a founder turning portfolios into dollars, and breaks down who really holds the most patents on the planet.
IFI Insights: Inventing AI
Three-plus years after ChatGPT’s debut, the AI patent race keeps accelerating. In 2025, 209,518 AI patent applications were filed worldwide, with generative AI claiming 23% of that total and agentic AI nearly doubling its share to 9% globally, 15% in the U.S. Samsung leads global AI filings, followed by Huawei and Google, while Nvidia tops the agentic AI charts worldwide and in the U.S. Explore the AI patent landscape.
AI Patents Break 100,000 Grants Milestone
Worldwide AI patent grants crossed 107,279 in 2025, up 83% from just three years prior. Agentic AI is this year’s breakout story: U.S. agentic grants climbed 14% year-over-year and 70% since 2021, while applications jumped 40% in a single year. Read the full announcement.
The IFI Interview: Tom Hochstatter, Co-Founder and President of Techson IP
Tom Hochstatter has seen patents from every angle: R&D, legal strategy, even as a named inventor. Today he is the president of Techson IP, the company behind Limestone, a platform that helps patent holders understand what their portfolios are worth. In this interview, Hochstatter breaks down Limestone’s three pillars of enforceability, infringement, and economic analysis, and explains why Techson chose IFI CLAIMS as its data backbone. Dive into the Techson IP interview.
2026 Global 250
Who holds the most patents on the planet? IFI’s 2026 Global 250 has the answer. State Grid Corp of China tops this year’s list with more than 147,000 active patent families, trailed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Samsung. Bosch is the first European company to appear, landing at number 22, while IBM is the first U.S. company, coming in at number 25. See the full 2026 Global 250 ranking.
2026 Global Trends & Insights
The latest Global Trends & Insights breaks down where global innovation is concentrated. China leads by company count, with 74 companies on the list, nearly 30% of the total, just ahead of Japan’s 71. By patent volume, China’s lead widens to 43% of all active families worldwide. The technology map shifts by region: wireless communication leads in the U.S., while electric digital data processing tops the charts across Asia and Europe. Dig into the full trends analysis.
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