80% of Top U.S. AI Patent Holders are U.S. Companies, but Half of the Top 100 are Foreign Businesses

It’s clear bigtech and software players like Samsung and Alphabet are leading the AI patent race, but what about other industries, like automobiles and finance and insurance? Who are the top early grantees and are they positioned to be the AI winners?

Businesses that have been granted the earliest if not most U.S. AI patents will in part determine many of the key players. If nothing else, these early grants illustrate a desire to protect businesses’ AI-related inventions in key industries, even if their patentability may eventually be questioned.

Of the top 15 grantees of U.S. artificial intelligence patents, 12 (80%) are U.S. businesses. Still, about half of the global 100 U.S. AI patent issuers (48) are non-U.S. companies. Arguably, when it comes to new technologies, it is the largest and most aggressive players who matter most in an industry. We will find out.

$2.5 Trillion AI Investment

Harrity & Harrity’s excellent data collections are helpful in sorting out which industries are most interested in U.S. AI patents and, in particular, which companies. Total corporate and venture spending on artificial intelligence will soon surpass $2.5 trillion.

Driven primarily by major U.S. tech firms and venture capital, the vast majority of this capital is being poured into AI infrastructure, including data centers, semiconductors, and power grids. The Chinese government is also a heavy AI investor. AI patents issued by China are abundant if, currently at least, of dubious value. Inconsistent rule of law and lack of judicial transparency are at least partly to blame. It remains to be seen if that changes.

A recent look at the 2025 U.S. AI patents granted reveals industry leaders and suggests which among the them are more likely to pursue quality patents.

China, for example, is the world leader in AI patents, holding approximately 60% to 74% of the global total, according to ChatGPT whose source is MRonline.org. See “China Holds 70% of All GenAI Patents Issued.”

By the end of 2023, Chinese entities held roughly 378,000 valid AI-related invention patents. More recent regional reports and analysis indicate that total filings have surpassed 1.5 million, with some localized tallies citing upwards of 300,000 to 389,000 core AI and GenAI patents. China accounts for the vast majority of all published core patents in generative AI, holding over 74% of the worldwide total.

China accounts for the vast majority of all published core patents in generative AI, holding over 74% of the worldwide total.

The eight companies that are on the U.S. AI patent 100 list comprise a total of just 969 patents according to the data provide by Harrity & Harrity. Alphabet with 1,057 patents holds more U.S. AI patents than the seven Chinese companies on the top 100 U.S. AI list combined.

U.S. Totals Matter

To provide further context, in the U.S. patent world, where issuance is more difficult and competition is higher, of the AI patent holders from China only two are in the top 20 – Tencent Holdings (18) and Huawei Investment and Holding (19).

The six others are on the top 100 list include Baidu Inc (26), Chengdu Qinchuan IOT Technology Co. (46), Lenovo Group Limited (84), BOE Technology Group (96), Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd, and (98), Zhe Jiang University (100).

There is considerably less global Chinese AI patent domination when U.S. figures are included, with the majority of China’s AI grants coming domestically.

R&D World reports: “While China dominates in the raw volume of AI patent filings and grants, experts note that the vast majority are filed exclusively within China’s domestic market, with only about 7% to 8% filed internationally. Additionally, U.S.-held AI patents historically lead in global citation counts and overall impact.”

Image source: Harrity & Harrity