SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - The number of artificial intelligence (AI)-related patents registered by South Korea’s large companies with local authorities more than tripled this year, data showed Wednesday.
According to a survey by CEO Score, a local research institution focused on business corporations, 111 major companies have registered 1,503 AI patents with the Korean Intellectual Property Office as of last month, up 273 percent from 403 last year.
Samsung Electronics leads the pack with 387 patents, followed by LG Electronics (154), Naver (90), SK Telecom (78), Korea Electric Power Corp. (54) and Hanwha Systems (52).
The most common AI patent categories are learning methods (687), machine learning (567), deep learning (130), voice recognition (117) and neuromorphic circuits (81).
Total AI patent registrations in the country have surged from just 18 in 2014 to 4,559 in 2023, a 253-fold increase over nine years.
Universities and research institutions hold a significant number of AI patents, led by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (349), Seoul National University (336) and Yonsei University (287).