Nvidia has a total of 15553 patents globally, out of which 8003 have been granted. Of these 15553 patents, more than 76% patents are active. United States of America is where Nvidia has filed the maximum number of patents, followed by China and Germany. Parallelly, United States of America seems to be the main focused R&D centre and also is the origin country of Nvidia.
Nvidia was founded in 1993. Nvidia is a top computing company specializing in graphics, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence. They make graphics processing technologies for workstations, desktop computers, and mobile devices. NVIDIA is also a major supplier of integrated circuits for PC motherboards, GPUs, and game consoles.
Do read about some of the most popular patents of Nvidia which have been covered by us in this article and also you can find Nvidia patents information, the worldwide patent filing activity and its patent filing trend over the years, and many other stats over Nvidia patent portfolio.
For more detailed insights, explore: Nvidia Subsidiaries and Acquisitions
How many patents does Nvidia have?
Nvidia has a total of 15553 patents globally. These patents belong to 6385 unique patent families. Out of 15553 patents, 11959 patents are active.
Top patent contributing subsidiaries of Nvidia
How Many Patents did Nvidia File Every Year?
Are you wondering why there is a drop in patent filing for the last two years? It is because a patent application can take up to 18 months to get published. Certainly, it doesn’t suggest a decrease in the patent filing.
| Year of Patents Filing or Grant | Nvidia Applications Filed | Nvidia Patents Granted |
| 2024 | 23 | 155 |
| 2023 | 849 | 635 |
| 2022 | 2126 | 350 |
| 2021 | 1643 | 334 |
| 2020 | 1156 | 317 |
| 2019 | 736 | 346 |
| 2018 | 384 | 374 |
| 2017 | 292 | 501 |
| 2016 | 199 | 605 |
| 2015 | 296 | 587 |
| 2014 | 256 | 536 |
How many Nvidia patents are Alive/Dead?
Worldwide Patents
How Many Patents did Nvidia File in Different Countries?
Countries in which Nvidia Filed Patents
| Country | Patent |
| United States of America | 8242 |
| China | 2112 |
| Germany | 1848 |
| Taiwan | 709 |
| United Kingdom | 524 |
| Japan | 456 |
| Europe (EPO) | 343 |
| Korea (South) | 263 |
| Austria | 106 |
| Canada | 54 |
| Australia | 49 |
| India | 33 |
| Singapore | 25 |
| Israel | 24 |
| Hong Kong (S.A.R.) | 16 |
| Brazil | 9 |
| Italy | 1 |
| Finland | 1 |
Where are Research Centers of Nvidia Patents Located?
The technology analysis has been done considering the patent data of Nvidia published during the last 5 years (January 2019 – February 2024)
What key Technologies are covered by Nvidia Patents?
Nvidia, a leading innovator in the technology industry, holds a vast portfolio of patents. This analysis delves into that portfolio, categorizing the patents published over the past five years to understand Nvidia’s technological priorities. The results reveal a clear focus on artificial intelligence, communication, and hardware development, alongside strategic investments in emerging fields.
Dominant Areas: AI/ML and Network & Communication seems to be the dominant area of patent filings for Nvidia. This reflects Nvidia’s focus on technologies that power high-performance computing, networking, and AI applications.
US11861890B2 this patent here describes creating new content, like images or music, in a specific style using generative models. This is a new way to use AI to create all sorts of creative outputs based on descriptions we provide. It’s like having a powerful and versatile AI assistant for generating images, music, and more!
Hardware Focus: Hardware-oriented categories like Hardware & Circuits (218), Computer Architecture (152), and Semiconductor Systems (43) occupy a significant portion of the portfolio, highlighting Nvidia’s strength in designing and developing core computing hardware.
Graphics Expertise: Computer Graphics (194) and Image Processing (120) patents showcase Nvidia’s expertise in visual processing technologies, crucial for their graphics processing units (GPUs) and other visual computing applications.
The table below presents a comprehensive breakdown of Nvidia’s patent portfolio by technological area:
| Technology Area | Patent Count |
| AI/ML | 415 |
| Network & Communication | 336 |
| Hardware & Circuits | 218 |
| Computer Graphics | 194 |
| Computer Architecture | 152 |
| Autonomous Vehicle | 141 |
| Data Processing | 132 |
| Data Center Technologies | 121 |
| Image Processing | 120 |
| Software Development | 68 |
| Video Processing & Streaming | 64 |
| Display | 48 |
| Semiconductor Systems | 43 |
| Privacy & Security | 30 |
| Cloud Computing | 27 |
| Gaming Technology | 21 |
| AR/VR | 19 |
| Robotics | 16 |
| Data Storage & Management | 16 |
| Sensor Technology | 13 |
| Others | 12 |
| 5G | 10 |
| Design | 10 |
| Computer Vision | 7 |
| Quantum Computing | 4 |
| User Interface | 2 |
| Blockchain | 1 |
Interested in knowing more about Nvidia Autonomous Vehicle? Click here to read more on this!
The chart below distributes patents filed by Nvidia in different countries on the basis of the technology protected in patents. It also represents the markets where Nvidia thinks it’s important to protect particular technology inventions
R&D Focus: How Nvidia Research Focus Changed Over the Years?
10 Best Nvidia Patents
US8738860B1 is the most popular patent in the Nvidia portfolio. It has received 485 citations so far from companies like Oracle, Mediatek.
Below is the list of 10 most cited patents of Nvidia:
| Publication Number | Citation Count |
| US8738860B1 | 485 |
| US7805587B1 | 413 |
| US6697063B1 | 333 |
| US7170515B1 | 285 |
| US7043649B2 | 282 |
| US7136953B1 | 267 |
| US7185286B2 | 264 |
| US7075541B2 | 242 |
| US7015913B1 | 235 |
| US6938176B1 | 227 |
How many inventions of other companies were rejected due to Nvidia patents?
The statistics below share strategic R&D insights. It tells the companies that were trying to protect inventions similar to Nvidia invention. They couldn’t because Nvidia had protected those before them.
Examiners at the USPTO referred 3278 Nvidia patents in 16365 rejections (35 USC § 102 or 35 USC § 103 types).
The top citing companies in the Nvidia patent portfolio are Intel Corp, Samsung and IBM.
List of the Companies whose Patents were rejected citing Nvidia –
| Company | Number of Patent Applications that faced Rejection Citing Nvidia Patents | Number of Rejections (102 & 103) |
| Intel Corporation | 849 | 2245 |
| Samsung | 431 | 1026 |
| IBM | 330 | 616 |
| Qualcomm | 273 | 609 |
| Microsoft | 239 | 625 |
| Advanced Micro Devices | 230 | 618 |
| Apple | 226 | 515 |
| Arm Limited | 114 | 276 |
| 116 | 207 | |
| Huawei | 94 | 178 |
Count of 102 and 103 Type Rejections based on Nvidia Patents
Top Nvidia Patents used in Rejecting Most Patent Applications
| Patent Number | Count of Rejected Applications |
| US8738860B1 | 39 |
| US11644834B2 | 36 |
| US7075541B2 | 34 |
| US8120584B2 | 31 |
| US9165537B2 | 28 |
| US10816346B2 | 28 |
| US10794711B2 | 27 |
| US7176878B2 | 26 |
| US9122643B2 | 25 |
| US10545029B2 | 24 |
| US11079764B2 | 24 |
| US8327187B1 | 22 |
| US11474519B2 | 22 |
| US7912471B2 | 21 |
| US7526593B2 | 21 |
What Percentage of Nvidia US Patent Applications were Granted?
Nvidia (Excluding its subsidiaries) has filed 6963 patent applications at USPTO so far (Excluding Design and PCT applications). Out of these 4810 have been granted leading to a grant rate of 88.44%.
Below are the key stats of Nvidia patent prosecution at the USPTO.
Which Law Firms Filed Most US Patents for Nvidia?
| Law Firm | Total Applications | Success Rate |
| Artegis Law Group Llp | 1539 | 96.00% |
| Zilka Kotab Pc | 888 | 62.21% |
| Murabito Hao & Barnes Llp | 875 | 9.56% |
| Davis Wright Tremaine Llp | 683 | 90.67% |
| Nvidia (Inhouse IP Dept) | 552 | 98.15% |
| Parker Justiss PC | 485 | 87.75% |
| Leydig Voit & Mayer Walnut Creek | 263 | 97.63% |
| Lowenstein Sandler Llp | 232 | 86.67% |
| Hogan Lovells Us Llp | 168 | 50.00% |