Alphabet behind the wheel: US dominates AI, but China closes in
Baidu tops AI patent applications, showcasing China’s growing strength in the field.
Companies from US and China are leading the race in AI research, with Alphabet, the parent company of Google, at the forefront. A recent study from Georgetown University revealed that Alphabet has published the most frequently cited AI academic papers over the past decade. Seven of the top ten positions are held by US companies, including Microsoft and Meta, reflecting their dominance in the field.
Chinese firms are not far behind, with Tencent, Alibaba, and Huawei securing spots within the top ten. These companies have shown remarkable growth, particularly in the number of papers accepted at major conferences. Huawei has outpaced its competitors with a 98.2% annual growth rate in this area, followed by Alibaba at 53.5%.
The competition extends beyond academic publications to patents. Baidu, a leading Chinese tech firm, topped the list of patent applications with over 10,000 submissions from 2013 to 2023. Baidu’s growth has been particularly striking, with a 228% increase in patent applications year-on-year in 2020. US companies hold three spots in the top ten for patents, with IBM making the list.
Samsung Electronics is the only Korean company to make the top 100, ranking No. 14 for highly cited AI articles and No. 4 for patents. However, Samsung’s growth in these areas has been slower compared to other global leaders, with modest increases in conference paper acceptances in recent years.
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