2021 Trends and Insights

Even as total US patent awards trended downward, China's 2021 US patent grants surged. The 2021 Rankings also shed light on corporate R&D priorities with artificial intelligence among the hottest areas of activity.

327,329 Total US Grants
410,093 Total US Applications
US, JP, KR Top Countries by US Granted Patents
China Country with Highest Growth Rate

US Grant and Application Activity

Total US patent grants declined 7.5 percent from 2020, the most precipitous drop since 2018. Grants went from 352,000 in 2020 to 327,329 during the past year; patent applications also saw a slight downtick, about 1 percent, going from 413,173 to 410,093 during that time frame.

Which Countries Received the Most US Patents?

Among the top 10 countries awarded grants, US-based companies stood head-and-shoulders above their international peers in innovating, accounting for more than half of all patent grants by USPTO in 2021. Its 150,801 new grants were 69 percent more than Japan, in second place with 47,105. South Korean (21,264), Chinese (20,679) and German (14,663) companies rounded out the top five grantees by country.

Top Countries

China Surges, as Others Decline

In a year that saw US patent grants decrease anywhere from 8 to 12 percent among worldwide corporations, China-based companies stood out with an increase of 10 percent, going from 18,792 awards in 2020 to 20,679 during the past year. A total of four Chinese companies are now in the US Top 50 including Huawei at #5, BOE at #11, Advanced New Technologies at #43, and Guangdong Oppo at #49. US company grants were down commensurate with the worldwide total decline, 8 percent.

Change in Patents by Country

Regional Trends

Consistent with the overall decline in US patent activity from 2020 to 2021, all regions had a negative growth rate this year.

Change in Patents by Region

Machine Learning Patents Granted by USPTO

Categorizing invention is complex, which is why the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is used to sort methods, devices, and processes that have not previously existed. Below are the definitions for the two CPC codes that showed the greatest year-over-year percent growth (2020-2021) for granted patents in the US:

  • G06N – computer systems based on specific computational models - which includes sub-technologies such as machine learning, deep learning, quantum computers and computer systems based on biological models
  • G06K – recognition of data; presentation of data; record carriers; handling record carriers

Change in CPC Codes for Granted Patents

Top Technologies Seeking Patent Protection

As was the case in 2020, the highest percent increase for patent applications in 2021 – a strong indicator of what's coming down the road - was Computer Systems Based on Computational Models, G06N, which saw a 24 percent increase from 2020-21. This area of computing includes sub-technology G06N which uses brain biology as an inspiration and includes Big Tech stalwarts such as IBM, Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Intel. Below are the definitions for the second and third CPC codes that showed the greatest year-over-year percent growth (2020-2021) for applications in the US:

  • G06K – recognition of data; presentation of data; record carriers; handling record carriers
  • C07K – peptides

Change in CPC Codes for Applications

Learn more about the terms and methods utilized in this report.