Trend of increasing patent applications related to multi-access edge computing
According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), patent applications related to multi-access edge computing* from the top five international patent countries (IP5) have surged an annual average of 58% over the past five years ('16-‘20), increasing more than six-fold from the 294 filed in 2016 to 1,848 in 2020.
* Multi-access edge computing is a technology in which, instead of using remote (core network) central computers for data processing, a base station or peripheral computing servers of a base station enable high-speed real-time services to users and all connected devices (ex. Internet of Things (IoT), automated driving, etc.) accessing the edge of the network, and is used for high-speed, hyper connective and ultra-low latency 5th generation network (5G) services for such as the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities, smart factories, and automated driving, etc..
< Patent Application Trend for Multi-Access Edge Computing Technology >
* Unpublished cases are not included.
According to the proportion of applications by country (IP5), China, which accounted for 36.2% of all applications, takes the largest share, followed by the United States (32.6%), Europe (12.9%) and Japan (6.0%), while per nationality of applicant, the order is China (37.9%), the United States (22.3%), Europe (14.0%), Korea (13.8%) and Japan (9.9%).
< Number of patent applications by nationality of applicant >
* Unpublished cases are not included.
A ranking of multiple applications per applicant shows ➊ Huawei (548 cases), ➋ Samsung Electronics (459 cases), ➌ Nokia (445 cases), ➍ Intel (336 cases), and ➎ Verizon (213 cases), in that order.
< Ranking of major applicants based on IP5 applications >
In ranking domestic companies, applications from electronic communication companies such as ➊ Samsung Electronics (327 cases), ➋ SK (33 cases), and ➌ LG (27 cases), etc. are prominent.
< Ranking of Applications (KIPO) from Korean companies, research institutes, and universities >
Competition for multi-access edge computing technology is expected to intensify in order to occupy in advance various service markets that are based on 5th generation (5G) and future 6th generation (6G), etc. high-speed communications.
[Source: KIPO]