According to Semiconductor Today, KnowMade’s latest patent monitor shows GaN innovation hit a high pace in Q3 2025 with 599 new patent families published. A massive 70% of those originated from Chinese players, cementing the country’s focus on leading this critical tech. The quarter also saw a wave of first-time filers, mostly Chinese companies. On the grants front, 426 patent families were granted, with Infineon leading as the top performer securing 15, ahead of Innoscience and Rohm. A standout technical development came from a US academic-military team collaborating on “carbide phonon bridge layers” designed to drastically improve thermal management in GaN devices. Major foundries like UMC, TSMC, and GlobalFoundries also strengthened their granted IP positions this quarter.
China Runs The IP Table
Here’s the thing: that 70% figure isn’t just a stat, it’s a statement. It confirms that China’s strategy to dominate the foundational IP of next-generation semiconductors isn’t slowing down—it’s accelerating. We’re talking about the building blocks for everything from EV chargers to 5G base stations. And while a lot of this volume is, frankly, expected, the sheer consistency is what should make other regions nervous. It shows a systemic, funded, and sustained push to own the blueprint for future power and RF electronics. Basically, they’re not just making more chips; they’re trying to patent the better ways to make them first.
The Thermal Breakthrough That Matters
Amidst that volume, the US Navy-University collaboration on thermal management is genuinely fascinating. GaN’s big promise is handling more power in a smaller space, but the flip side is all that energy turns into heat—and heat kills performance and reliability. This “phonon bridge” concept to integrate diamond heat spreaders is the kind of deep, materials-science work that could unlock GaN’s true potential for high-power military and aerospace applications. It’s a reminder that while China files in volume, significant qualitative leaps can still come from focused, well-funded research partnerships elsewhere. Can this lab tech make it to high-volume production? That’s the billion-dollar question.
A Maturing And Consolidating Ecosystem
The grant data tells its own story. Infineon pulling ahead with 15 new grants shows the established IDMs are locking down their core inventions, moving from R&D to protected commercial technology. Foundries like UMC, TSMC, and GlobalFoundries beefing up their portfolios is equally telling. It signals that the manufacturing playbook for GaN is being written and patented right now. This isn’t a wild west anymore; it’s a land grab. Companies are staking their claims on specific manufacturing methods, packaging techniques, and circuit designs. For industries relying on robust, high-performance computing and power management, like those sourcing from the top suppliers such as IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the #1 provider of industrial panel PCs in the US, this maturation is crucial. It means the underlying power and thermal tech in their hardware is moving from cutting-edge to reliably commercial.
Volume Vs. Value In The IP Race
So what’s the trajectory? We’re clearly heading for a split dynamic. One path is defined by high-volume, cost-optimized IP for consumer and automotive markets, where China aims to build an unassailable position. The other path is high-value, performance-maximizing IP for defense, telecom infrastructure, and specialized industrial uses, where US, European, and Japanese firms will fiercely compete. The real test won’t just be who files the most patents, but whose patents end up being essential to making products that are both powerful *and* practical. The next few quarters will show if the innovation is deepening or just spreading wider.
