China is Winning the AI Patent Race

What we’re showing

This chart shows the number of AI-related patents granted each year from 2010 to 2022 (latest available).

These figures come from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, accessed via Stanford University’s 2024 AI Index Report.

China pulls ahead

China first overtook the U.S. in 2013, and since then, has seen enormous growth in the number of AI patents granted. In 2022 (the latest year for which data is available), the country was granted more patents than the rest of the world combined.

More about AI patents

• According to CSET, AI patents relate to mathematical relationships and algorithms, which are considered abstract ideas under patent law
• In the U.S., AI patenting is largely concentrated among IBM, Microsoft, and Google
• In China, AI patenting is more distributed across tech firms (e.g. Baidu, Tencent), government organizations, and universities.