Kernel Fusion Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Kernel Fusion and Scheduling Patents: Mapping the Filers, the Claims and the Open Ground
36.5% concentration. The top 5 of 74 ranked assignees hold 61 of the 167 records in scope — the rest is a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants. Annual counts run from 10 in 2017 to a partial 12 in 2026, with a peak of 25 in 2025. The complete-year comparison the page uses for growth is 2021's 9 against 2024's 6, a -33% move; 2025 and 2026 are not yet fully published and should not be read as a rebound or a slump.
- 1QUALCOMM INC19
- 2INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION12
- 3INTEL CORP12
- 4PACT XPP TECH10
- 5BASF SE8
See the full kernel fusion and scheduling analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions on kernel fusion and scheduling patents
Who holds the most patents in kernel fusion and scheduling?
One assignee leads the ranked field with 19 of the 167 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 8 and the tenth-ranked at 5. The top 5 of 74 ranked assignees together hold 36.5% of all records, and the top 10 hold 53.9%. That leaves a long tail of 64 assignees filing in smaller numbers, so a single-leader check is not enough for a full clearance review.
Is patent filing in kernel fusion and scheduling growing or shrinking?
The only complete-year comparison available shows a decline: 2021’s count of 9 fell to 6 by 2024, a -33% move. Counts of 25 in 2025 and a partial 12 in 2026 look higher, but publication lags actual filing by roughly 18 months, so those recent years are still filling in and should not yet be read as a recovery or a new peak.
What technology areas overlap most with kernel fusion patents?
The dominant classification is G06F (electric digital data processing), covering 86.2% of the 167 records, which confirms this is primarily a compiler and systems-level field. The next largest is G06N (AI-model computing) at 29.9%, indicating a substantial and growing overlap with accelerator and AI-workload scheduling. Image processing (G06T, 6.6%) and business data processing (G06Q, 4.2%) are present but minor by comparison.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Kernel Fusion and Scheduling covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.