Chiplets & Advanced Packaging Patent Landscape 2026
Chiplets & Advanced Packaging Patent Landscape in 2026
The chiplets and advanced packaging field is in a growth phase, with 8,309 patent families on record and a 92% increase in the most recent multi-year window. Intel holds a commanding lead with 1,252 patent families, but challengers TSMC and Qualcomm are accelerating sharply, signaling an intensifying competitive front.
Intel dominates a highly concentrated field, but challengers are filing at accelerating rates
Intel Corp leads Qualcomm rounds out a strong top three at 593 patent families.
The top five filers — Intel, TSMC, Qualcomm, Monolithic 3D, and IBM — together account for 45% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, indicating a high degree of concentration at the apex while a substantial number of mid-tier players compete for the remainder.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intel Corporation | 1,252 | |
| 2 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | 857 | |
| 3 | Qualcomm Inc | 593 | |
| 4 | Monolithic 3D Inc | 338 | |
| 5 | International Business Machines Corporation | 300 | |
| 6 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 291 | |
| 7 | Apple Inc | 193 | |
| 8 | X Display Co Technology Ltd | 169 | |
| 9 | Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 149 | |
| 10 | Applied Materials Inc | 142 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | University of Illinois Board of Trustees | 118 | |
| 12 | Micron Technology Inc | 101 | |
| 13 | Siliconware Precision Industries Co Ltd | 95 | |
| 14 | Adeia Semiconductor Bonding Technologies Inc | 86 | |
| 15 | MediaTek Inc | 86 | |
| 16 | Huawei Technologies Co Ltd | 83 | |
| 17 | Tokyo Electron Ltd | 80 | |
| 18 | Resonac Corporation | 79 | |
| 19 | Kepler Computing Inc | 71 | |
| 20 | VueReal Inc | 68 |
Intel’s entrenched position reflects years of sustained investment in heterogeneous integration. However, TSMC’s doubling momentum and Qualcomm’s 12× surge from its prior three-year base signal that the gap may narrow, particularly as fabless and foundry players pursue packaging as a system-level differentiator.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and are likely undercounted; the 2025 and 2026 figures should be interpreted as partial totals rather than evidence of any slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing volume has grown nearly every year since 2017; semiconductor device IP dominates the technology mix
Annual filing volumes and the IPC class breakdown together reveal both the pace of competitive activity and the technical domains absorbing the most inventive effort in this field.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew from 345 in 2017 to a recorded peak of 1,578 in 2024, reflecting sustained multi-year expansion. The 2025 figure of 908 and the 2026 figure of 32 are artifacts of publication lag and should not be read as real declines.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01L (Semiconductor devices) overwhelmingly dominates the IPC mix. Adjacent classes — H10B (Memory device manufacture), H05K (Printed circuits and assemblies), G06F (Electric digital data processing), and G02B (Optical elements and systems) — each hold smaller but meaningful shares, pointing to memory integration, substrate design, compute logic, and photonics as secondary battlegrounds.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Substrate wiring method for 2.5d packaging structu…
The present disclosure provides a substrate wiring method for a 2.5D packaging structure, a substrate, and a packaging structure. In the substrate wiring method for a 2.5D packaging structure, the volume V1(i) of each dielectric layer providing a wiring metal layer is calculated, the metal volume V2(i) in each dielectric layer is calculated, and the metal… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Methods and devices for fabricating and assembling… | 1,134 |
| 2 | Methods and apparatus of wafer level package for h… | 1,033 |
| 3 | Printed Assemblies of Ultrathin, Microscale Inorga… | 849 |
| 4 | Printable semiconductor structures and related met… | 460 |
| 5 | Controlled buckling structures in semiconductor in… | 448 |
| 6 | Methods and devices for fabricating and assembling… | 415 |
| 7 | Methods for plasma depositing polymers comprising … | 395 |
| 8 | Apparatus for non-conductively interconnecting int… | 380 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the field’s structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural observations — maturity stage, competitive concentration, collaborative patterns, and geographic coverage — shape where new entrants and incumbents should focus.
Growth phase: filings expanding on a multi-year basis
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Growth, with annual filings having risen from 345 in 2017 to 1,578 in 2024 and a 92% increase across the recent multi-year window. The peak has not yet clearly eased, and the publication lag on 2025–2026 data means the growth trajectory is likely continuing. New entrants can still establish meaningful positions, but window-of-opportunity time is compressing as incumbents build portfolio depth.
Growth stageHigh apex concentration with an active mid-tier
The top five filers hold 45% of the combined volume among the hundred largest filers, with Intel alone accounting for more than Intel’s nearest rival by a wide margin. A second tier — Samsung, Apple, AMD, Applied Materials — each holds positions of 142–291 patent families, creating a competitive buffer zone. New entrants will find differentiation easier in niche sub-domains than in head-on competition with the top three.
Highly concentratedCo-filing clusters form around TSMC, AMD, and IBM corporate families
The most active co-filing pair is TSMC with X Display Co Tech Ltd (Global Unichip Corporation) at 22 joint families, matched by AMD with ATI Technologies at 22. IBM leads multi-node collaboration, co-filing with its Chinese subsidiary (15), UK IP department (14), Israeli subsidiary (7), and German entity (4). AMD also co-filed 6 families with Xilinx. These patterns reflect both intra-corporate IP consolidation and strategic foundry-design-house alliances.
Ecosystem-drivenUS-centric filing with meaningful PCT and Asia-Pacific coverage
The United States is the dominant filing jurisdiction, followed by WIPO PCT, China, Europe (EPO), and Taiwan. This distribution confirms that the primary IP battleground is the US market, while PCT and EPO filings indicate broad international protection strategies by leading filers. Taiwan’s presence reflects the foundry ecosystem’s local IP anchoring. Jurisdictions such as Singapore, Vietnam, and South Korea show smaller but non-negligible activity tied to regional manufacturing hubs.
US-led, global spreadGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | Global Unichip Corporation | 22 |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | ATI Technologies ULC | 22 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | IBM China Co Ltd | 15 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | IBM UNITED KINGDOM LTD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPAR… | 14 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | IBM ISRAEL SCI & TECH LTD | 7 |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | Xilinx Inc | 6 |
| X-Celeprint Limited | Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co KG | 5 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | IBM DEUTSCHLAND GMBH | 4 |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | National Taiwan University | 2 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | Renesas Electronics Corporation | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Intel leads on depth; TSMC and Qualcomm are the fastest-moving challengers
The top two players share the same dominant technology focus — H01L 23, H01L 25, and H01L 21 sub-classes — but diverge sharply in momentum, with Intel growing steadily while TSMC and Qualcomm are accelerating aggressively.
Intel Corp
Intel holds 1,252 patent families, the largest portfolio in scope, concentrated in H01L 23, H01L 25, and H01L 21 — covering semiconductor packaging structures, multi-chip assemblies, and fabrication processes. Recent-window filings of 627 reflect a +41% increase versus the prior period, indicating sustained but measured expansion rather than a surge. Intel’s depth across all three H01L sub-classes suggests broad defensive coverage of the heterogeneous integration stack.
families: 1,252TSMC
TSMC ranks second with 857 patent families and is the most aggressive mover among the top filers, with 423 recent-window families representing a +100% increase versus the prior period. Its technology emphasis mirrors Intel’s — H01L 23, H01L 21, H01L 25 — but the doubling rate signals a strategic shift toward proprietary advanced packaging IP to complement its foundry process leadership. The active co-filing relationship with Global Unichip further extends TSMC’s system-level reach.
families: 857| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Corporation | 627 | ▲ +41% |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | 423 | ▲ +100% |
| Qualcomm Inc | 413 | ▲ 12× vs prior 3-yr |
| International Business Machines Corporation | 91 | ▼ -28% |
| Monolithic 3D Inc | 147 | ▲ +46% |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 176 | ▲ 8.8× vs prior 3-yr |
| Apple Inc | 78 | ▬ 0% |
| X-Celeprint Limited | 11 | ▼ -69% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant H01L core
Several IPC classes adjacent to the dominant H01L semiconductor-device cluster show comparatively low share within this corpus, pointing to areas where inventive activity relative to technical relevance may be sparse enough to warrant closer examination.
G02B · Optical Elements & Systems
G02B accounts for only 2% of the IPC branch mix within this corpus, despite photonic interconnects being widely discussed as a bandwidth and power-efficiency solution for chiplet-to-chiplet communication. The technical case for optical packaging integration is strong — it addresses latency and thermal constraints that electrical interconnects struggle with at scale. Entry paths include co-packaging of laser sources, waveguide routing on interposers, and optical via structures, areas where the current filing density appears sparse relative to their engineering relevance.
Search this in Eureka →H05K · Printed Circuits & Assemblies
H05K holds only 3% of branch-level records in this corpus despite substrate and printed-circuit-board engineering being foundational to advanced packaging architectures such as embedded dies, fan-out panels, and organic interposers. The relative sparsity may reflect that substrate IP is being filed primarily under H01L rather than H05K, but it could also indicate an under-claimed space at the printed-circuit and laminate integration layer. Organizations with substrate manufacturing capabilities may find this an accessible adjacent claim area.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by technology sub-class emphasis
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01L 23 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 21 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 25 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 27 · Semiconductor devices | H01L 29 · Semiconductor devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Corporation | Strong · 1,097 | Moderate · 542 | Strong · 710 | Emerging · 44 | Emerging · 58 |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | Strong · 781 | Strong · 530 | Strong · 433 | Emerging · 33 | Emerging · 42 |
| Qualcomm Inc | Strong · 563 | Moderate · 237 | Strong · 325 | Absent | Absent |
| Monolithic 3D Inc | Strong · 294 | Strong · 210 | Strong · 196 | Strong · 197 | Moderate · 116 |
| International Business Machines Corporation | Strong · 265 | Strong · 260 | Moderate · 128 | Emerging · 46 | Emerging · 34 |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Strong · 253 | Moderate · 75 | Strong · 214 | Absent | Absent |
| Apple Inc | Strong · 182 | Absent | Strong · 114 | Absent | Emerging · 10 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 8,309 patent families. Filing activity grew from 345 families recorded in 2017 to a peak of 1,578 in 2024, reflecting a 92% increase in the most recent multi-year window.
Intel Corp leads with 1,252 patent families. TSMC ranks second at 857, followed by Qualcomm at 593, Monolithic 3D at 338, and IBM at 300. The top five together account for 45% of the combined volume among the hundred largest filers.
Qualcomm shows the sharpest acceleration at 12× versus its prior three-year base, followed by Samsung at 8.8× and TSMC at +100%. Intel is growing more steadily at +41%. IBM is the notable decliner among the top five, with a -28% recent-window trend.
H01L (Semiconductor devices) dominates the IPC composition by a wide margin. Secondary classes include H10B (Memory device manufacture), H05K (Printed circuits and assemblies), G06F (Electric digital data processing), and G02B (Optical elements and systems).
The United States is the leading filing jurisdiction, followed by WIPO PCT, China, Europe (EPO), and Taiwan. Singapore, India, Germany, and Japan also carry meaningful filing volumes, reflecting the global manufacturing and design ecosystem.
G02B (Optical elements and systems) and H05K (Printed circuits and assemblies) each hold comparatively low shares of branch-level records within this corpus. Given the technical relevance of photonic interconnects and substrate engineering to advanced packaging architectures, these represent adjacent branches worth monitoring for potential white space.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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