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PatentBrief

Patent Cliff · Semiconductor

Semiconductors patent cliff

Key semiconductor patents from the 3G/4G and CMOS scaling era are expiring, including process nodes and memory cell architectures that chip designers can now freely use.

Expiring 2025–2029

6

Citations at stake

96

Peak cliff year

2027

Already expired

56

Patents Expiring by Year (2025–2029)

2025

1

2026

0

2027

2

2028

2

2029

1

Patent count
Citation weight

Most-Cited Semiconductor Patents Expiring 2025–2029

01

How to Send Data Streams Independently Without Connection Overload

US 7904576Hewlett Packard Development Co LPexpires 2028

42

cit.

02

How Touchscreens Save Battery by Sleeping Between Touches

US 8125456Apple Incexpires 2027

21

cit.

03

How Touchscreens Precisely Align Signals to Detect Your Touch

US 8493330Apple Incexpires 2027

13

cit.

04

How Nanoparticles Form Adaptive Neural Network Connections

US 8156057Knowmtechexpires 2028

12

cit.

05

How Graphics Processors Switch Between Different Tasks Efficiently

US 7512773Nvidia Corpexpires 2025

6

cit.

06

How Touchscreens Tell Real Touches From False Ghost Touches

US 8619056Elan Microelectronics Corpexpires 2029

2

cit.

Year-by-Year Top Patents

Strategic context

Key semiconductor patents from the 3G/4G and CMOS scaling era are expiring, including process nodes and memory cell architectures that chip designers can now freely use. As these patents expire, competitors and open-source projects can freely implement the underlying inventions without license fees. For FTO analysis on specific products, use the FTO Risk Snapshot tool →

Other domain cliffs

Consumer ElectronicsSoftwareAI/MLBiotechTelecomPharmaceutical
Semiconductors landscape →Expiry calendar →Expiring soon →All domains →