Taipei: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has once again topped the list of patent applicants in Taiwan, securing the leading position for the ninth year in a row in 2024, according to data released by the Intellectual Property Office of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
According to Focus Taiwan, TSMC filed 1,412 invention patent applications in 2024. Although this number marks a 28 percent decrease from the previous year, it remains the highest among all patent applicants in Taiwan. The office attributed the decline in filings to TSMC’s strategic approach to patent development.
Taiwanese law classifies patents into three categories: invention, utility model, and design, with invention patents being the most crucial for new technologies. TSMC’s substantial investment in research and development has been a key factor in maintaining its technological edge over competitors. The company was the first globally to mass-produce chips using the advanced 3-nanometer process and is currently working on the more advanced 2nm process, set to commence commercial production in Hsinchu by 2025.
Nanya Technology Corp., a supplier of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, ranked second with 466 invention patents filed in 2024, reflecting a 25 percent increase from the previous year. Other significant Taiwanese invention patent applicants included AUO Corp., the Industrial Technology Research Institute, Innolux Corp., Inventec Corp., Realtek Semiconductor Corp., Acer Inc., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., and MediaTek Inc.
Hon Hai, an iPhone assembler and AI server maker, saw the most substantial growth in invention patent applications in Taiwan last year.
Among foreign companies, American semiconductor equipment supplier Applied Materials Inc. led the invention patent applications in Taiwan for 2024, with 950 filings, a 29 percent increase from the prior year. This growth enabled Applied Materials to surpass South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. as the top foreign applicant.
Samsung Electronics Co. filed 894 patents, an 8 percent decrease from the previous year, while South Korean e-commerce operator Coupang Corp. showed significant growth, filing 698 invention patents, a 54 percent increase. Other notable foreign applicants included Tokyo Electron Ltd., Qualcomm Inc., Nitto Denko Corp., ASML Holding N.V., Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Lam Research Corp., and SCREEN Holdings Co.
The office also noted that Huawei Technologies Co., a China-based telecom equipment brand, ranked as the 17th largest invention patent applicant in Taiwan, with a record 184 applications in 2024, a 28 percent rise from the previous year. Huawei’s steady increase in patent applications from 2020 to 2024 highlights the company’s commitment to advancing its patent development strategy in Taiwan.