February 21, 2019
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As reported by IPWatchdog.com, in 2018, IBM received the highest number of U.S. patents for the 26th consecutive year. IBM ranked first with 9,100 U.S. patent grants, representing 6.4% of all U.S. patents granted to U.S. companies. In contrast, Samsung ranked second with 5,850 U.S. patent grants.
According to IBM chairman, president and CEO Ginni Rometty, IBM is committed to “solving problems many people have not even thought of yet.” As a result, over 3000 of the company’s new patents relate to emerging and potentially controversial technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), block chain, cloud computing and quantum computing.
In its recent press release, IBM highlights Project Debater, a first-of-its-kind AI system that can debate with humans on complex topics, as well as an anti-phishing AI system that can identify attempts by one party to deceive another. IBM leverages researchers from all around the world. The new patent grants were contributed to by over 8,500 researchers in 48 countries.
In a recent blog post, Arvind Krishna, SVP Hybrid Cloud and Director of IBM Research, highlighted IBM’s efforts to mitigate and manage climate change impacts. IBM patented a research tool which uses machine learning and image analysis to identify a plant species, along with its diagnoses and treatment. The company is also exploring the fields of health and safety, including technology to improve prostheses. Krishna said IBM researchers are “truly leading the way for the future – helping to make business and society smarter, safer and more sustainable.”
Authors: Sarah Stothart and Christina Liao
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