The technology industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation. Activity is driven by the rapid emergence and widespread adoption of game-changing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), and mobility, and growing importance of technologies such as edge devices, fog nodes, edge computing software, and networking technologies. These technologies work together to enable fog computing, facilitating efficient and real-time processing of data at the network edge. In the last three years alone, there have been over 3.6 million patents filed and granted in the technology industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Cloud: Fog computing. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 2.5 million patents to analyse innovation intensity for the technology industry, there are 300+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Fog computing is a key innovation area in cloud
Fog computing is an infrastructure for computing that operates in a decentralised manner. In this setup, data, computation, storage, and applications are strategically distributed between the data source and the cloud, aiming for optimal efficiency. By facilitating data communication, collection, and processing closer to its origin and consumption, fog computing offers advantages over conventional cloud computing architectures in terms of efficiency and security.
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 80+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of fog computing.
Key players in fog computing – a disruptive innovation in the technology industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to fog computing
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Intel is one of the leading patent filers in fog computing. The company’s patents are aimed at a method and apparatus for offloading data from a device with a duty cycle shortage to a device with an excess of duty cycle. In an example method, a packet is sent to a cloud device. A duty cycle usage remaining for transmission of data to the cloud device is calculated. If the remaining duty cycle is below a pre-set limit, data is offloaded to a sending device.
Other prominent patent filers in the space include Apple and Cox Enterprises.
By geographic reach, Intel leads the pack, followed by Alphabet and Naver. In terms of application diversity, Johnson & Johnson holds the top position, followed by Strong Force IoT Portfolio 2016 and iRobot.
Fog computing plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between the cloud and edge devices, offering several significant advantages. It reduces latency, enhances real-time decision-making capabilities, and improves overall system performance.
To further understand how cloud is disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cloud Computing – Thematic Intelligence.
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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.
