The technology industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the increasing demand for energy-efficient solutions, regulatory requirements for reduced power consumption, and the growing focus on sustainability. This has resulted in the growing importance of technologies such as advanced power management protocols, system-level power management software, and hardware-level power management features integrated into Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) devices. 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 Technology Innovation: PCI power management. 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 stabilising 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
PCI power management is a key innovation area in technology
PCI power management refers to a functionality present in specific computer hardware components, including network cards, sound cards, and hard drives, enabling them to operate with reduced power consumption during periods of inactivity. This feature serves to conserve energy, minimise heat generation, and prolong the lifespan of the device. By optimising power usage when not in use, PCI power management contributes to overall energy efficiency and improved sustainability.
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 280+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of PCI power management.
Key players in PCI power management – a disruptive innovation in the technology industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to PCI power management
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Intel is a leading patent filer in the PCI power management space. One of the company’s patents describes a method for power management in a processor by evaluating multiple ports of an electronic device, identifying inactive pins, disabling the squelch function, and controlling the power of the physical layer (PHY). This approach helps optimise power usage in the processor by selectively managing power based on the activity of the device's ports and pins.
Other prominent patent filers in the space include Samsung Group and Qualcomm.
By geographic reach, Guangzhou Shiyuan Electronic Technology leads the pack, followed by Guangzhou Shirui Electronics and Brydge Technologies. In terms of application diversity, Intel holds the top position, followed by Samsung Group and Denso.
PCI power management helps to optimize power consumption and improve energy efficiency in devices and systems that utilize the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. It involves managing the power states and behaviour of PCI devices to minimize power consumption during idle or low utilization periods. By implementing power management strategies, such as device power gating, clock scaling, and dynamic voltage scaling, energy efficiency can be significantly improved.
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.
