Larry Cady, Claims Patent Services
EETimes (4/21/2016 08:00 AM EDT)
A big spurt in semiconductor patent grants in China may not be sustainable, according to an analysis of the data by a intellectual property expert.
The rapid growth of the Chinese semiconductor industry has received considerable attention in publications such as The Economist and The New York Times recently. Some are suggesting that China has sights on dominating the chip market.
IFI Claims Patent Services, a U.S.-based research firm that covers the global patent market, took a look at this question from a patent perspective. Its analysis found that while the number of Chinese semiconductor patent grants jumped a whopping 88 percent in 2015 compared to 2014, this proliferation is not likely to be sustainable. As a result, China’s prowess in microchips may be less intimidating in the near term than some are predicting.