The technology sector continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the convergence of technological progress, heightened connectivity, and the necessity for companies to enhance efficiency and competitiveness in a swiftly transforming marketplace, as well as growing importance of technologies such as routing algorithms, packet switching, communication protocols, and interconnect technologies. These technologies collectively enable network-on-a-chip architectures to provide efficient and scalable communication within a single chip, facilitating high-performance and energy-efficient systems-on-chip (SoC) designs. In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.5 million patents filed and granted in the technology industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in technology: network-on-a-chip. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
185+ innovations will shape the technology industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the technology industry using innovation intensity models built on over 1.6 million patents, there are 185+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, non-volatile flash memory, neuromorphic computing, and haptic feedback interfaces are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. RAID transmission error detection, projector-camera system, and optimized vector processing are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are resistive touch displays and digital watermarking, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the technology industry
Network-on-a-chip is a key innovation area in technology
Network-on-a-chip (NoC) is a design methodology for integrated circuits that employs interconnected processing nodes to enable communication among various cores and IP blocks within the chip. It utilizes a communication infrastructure comprising routing algorithms, physical interconnects, and dedicated communication protocols to facilitate efficient data exchange between components on the chip.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 140+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of network-on-a-chip.
Key players in network-on-a-chip – a disruptive innovation in the technology industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to network-on-a-chip
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| ZTE | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Arteris IP | 42 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Qualcomm | 37 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Inventec | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Texas Instruments | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Apple | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Meta Platforms | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Advanced Micro Devices | 97 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Infineon Technologies | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IBM | 45 | Unlock Company Profile |
| STMicroelectronics | 62 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Achronix Semiconductor | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NEC | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intel | 271 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Micron Technology | 104 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mythic | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Tenstorrent | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kalray | 32 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shanghai Cambricon Information Technology | 33 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shanghai Zhaoxin Semiconductor | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Friday Harbor | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Scientia Sol Mentis | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Intel is the leading patent filers in network-on-a-chip. The company’s patents are aimed at systems and methods for providing a network-on-chip (NoC) structure on an integrated circuit for high-speed data passing.
The NoC structure may includes multiple NoC stations with a hard-IP interface having a bidirectional connection to local components of the integrated circuit. The NoC stations may have a soft-IP interface to support the hard-IP interface of the NoC station.
Other prominent patent filers in the space include Micron Technology and Advanced Micro Devices.
By geographic reach, Adeia leads the pack, followed by Alphabet and Mythic. In terms of application diversity, Intel holds the top position, followed by Advanced Micro Devices and Huawei.
Network-on-a-chip can overcome communication bottlenecks, enhance performance, improve power efficiency, and provide scalability and flexibility in designing complex SoCs. It plays a vital role in enabling the development of advanced and feature-rich electronic systems across various domains, including consumer electronics, automotive, telecommunications, and high-performance computing.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Technology.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
