The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) has released the statistical rankings for patent applications and granted patents in 2025. In the category of invention patent applications filed by domestic applicants, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. (TSMC) secured the top position for the tenth consecutive year with 1,485 cases. Among non-resident applicants, Applied Materials, Inc. retained the top position with a record high of 1,088 cases. The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) led among research institutions with 328 cases, while National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) ranked first among academic institutions with 134 cases. TSMC and Applied Materials also topped the rankings for granted invention patents among domestic and non-resident applicants, with 1,543 and 684 patents granted, respectively.
 
Invention Patent Applications from Domestic Applicants
TSMC has maintained its leading position in invention patent applications since 2016, filing 1,485 cases in 2025, representing a 5% increase. It was followed by AUO Corporation (397 cases), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (340 cases), Nanya Technology Corporation (328 cases), ITRI (328 cases), Inventec Corporation (316 cases), Realtek Semiconductor Corp. (286 cases), Delta Electronics, Inc. (280 cases), MediaTek Inc. (269 cases), and Innolux Corporation (235 cases). Hon Hai, ranked third, recorded the highest growth rate among the top 10, with a 31% increase. Delta Electronics, ranked eighth, reached its highest filing level in the past 18 years.
 
Among the top 20, China Steel Corporation (ranked fourteenth with 143 cases) matched its historical record set in 2013, while Wistron Corporation (ranked fifteenth with 141 cases) reached its highest filing level in the past 11 years.
 
Invention Patent Applications from Non-resident Applicants
Applied Materials (US) ranked first for the second consecutive year among non-resident invention patent applicants with 1,088 cases, while Tokyo Electron Limited (JP) advanced to the second place with 773 cases. The ranking continued with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (KR, 741 cases), Coupang Corp. (KR, 675 cases), Qualcomm Incorporated (US, 570 cases), Kioxia Corporation (JP, 454 cases), Nitto Denko Corporation (JP, 406 cases), Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (JP, 359 cases), Lam Research Corporation (US, 276 cases), and Resonac Corporation (JP, 270 cases). Kioxia, ranked sixth, recorded the highest growth rate among the top 10, with an increase of 105%.
 
Among the top 20, nine applicants achieved record-high application numbers, including Applied Materials (ranked first), Tokyo Electron (ranked second), Shin-Etsu Chemical (ranked eighth), Lam Research (ranked ninth), Resonac (ranked tenth), Screen Holdings Co., Ltd. (JP, ranked eleventh with 263 cases), Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (JP, ranked fifteenth with 203 cases), Wonderland Switzerland AG (CH, ranked sixteenth with 198 cases), and SK Hynix Inc. (KR, ranked nineteenth with 153 cases).
 
Filings from Research and Academic Institutions
Four research institutions were included among the top 100 domestic applicants for invention patents, with ITRI (ranked fourth with 328 cases) remaining the leading research institution for 19 consecutive years since 2007.
 
Among academic institutions, 22 universities were included in the top 100 domestic applicants for invention patents. NCKU has remained the leading academic institution for four consecutive years with 134 cases, while Ming Chi University of Technology ranked second with 86 cases, entering the top 10 universities for the first time. It was followed by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (83 cases), National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (73 cases), National Chung Hsing University (70 cases), National Chin-Yi University of Technology (69 cases), National Tsing Hua University (67 cases), National Sun Yat-Sen University (61 cases), National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (60 cases), and National Taiwan University (60 cases).
 
Regarding total applications across invention, utility model, and design patents, NCKU advanced to the leading position among universities with 154 cases, followed by Taipei City University of Science and Technology, which filed 140 cases in 2025, primarily utility model patent applications.
 
(Translated and summarized from a news release published on TIPO’s official website)