Korea rises to second place after U.S. in 3rd-gen AI chip patents

South Korea has ranked second after the United States in the number of patents related to neuromorphic semiconductors often called as third-generation AI chips that mimic the human brain neuros, showing the country¡¯s lead over China, Japan, and Taiwan that excelled in the first and second-generation AI computing systems.

The report released Tuesday by Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and Center for Economic Catch-up analyzed each country¡¯s patents in three stages of technological development in AI semiconductors.

The U.S. took the overwhelming first place in the latest neuromorphic field, followed by Korea with an 18 percent share, outrunning Japan (4 percent) and Taiwan (2 percent) by a big margin.

By company, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the global ranks of neuromorphic-related patents.

In terms of patent applications filed for all AI semiconductors, the U.S. and China topped the list with a share of 37 percent and 36 percent, respectively, trailed by Korea. China is a big patent applicant in this field, but a chunk of its patents is filed domestically.

The first generation of AI semiconductors can process complex calculations sequentially or process simple calculations in parallel. The second-generation chips are divided into semiconductors with hardware reconfigured for each purpose and dedicated chips tailored to specific purposes. The third-generation neuromorphic semiconductors, the most advanced in this field, are modeled after systems in the human brain and nervous system.

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