Apple received 2,722 U.S. patents in 2025, down 12%, slipping to sixth as Samsung tops the list. See how AI, chips, and a USPTO backlog reshaped the rankings.
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Apple’s patent activity in the United States slipped noticeably in 2025, fitting into a wider slowdown in tech-sector innovation. Fresh figures from IFI CLAIMS Patent Services show the company received 2,722 U.S. patents for the year, down from 3,082 a year earlier. The roughly 12% slide knocked Apple down two places to sixth in the annual ranking of top U.S. patent recipients.
The retreat is striking given Apple’s ongoing investments in artificial intelligence, in-house chips, and software. Analysts note the pattern extends beyond one company: in 2025, the total number of patents granted in the U.S. fell to 323,272, while applications dropped 9% to the lowest level since 2019. IFI links the pullback to cooling activity in key technology fields and to a workload crunch at the U.S. Patent Office, where more than 1.2 million applications remain pending.
Other heavyweights also felt the pinch. Google slipped in the standings, and Nvidia, despite its central role in the AI boom, failed to crack the U.S. top 50 by patent grants. Overall, patents obtained by American companies decreased by more than 5%, while several Asian manufacturers moved in the opposite direction, expanding their totals.
Against that backdrop, Samsung held the lead for the fourth straight year, securing 7,054 patents—more than 2% of all U.S. patents granted over the period. TSMC, Apple’s key chipmaking partner, placed second, with Qualcomm in third. Apple’s downtick contrasts with gains at companies such as Dell and Toyota, which climbed the table on the back of work in computing infrastructure, batteries, and automotive systems. In 2025, patents around AI and energy storage remained the headline categories, yet the market’s trajectory suggests a pause and a reallocation of inventive effort.