Patent Intelligence · Technology Convergence
Where do technologies cross-pollinate?
The most interesting IP often lives at the intersection of two domains. This matrix maps every patent that carries multiple domain tags — revealing where AI bleeds into biotech, where semiconductors meet telecom, and where the next wave of convergence is already happening.
Domain pairs analyzed
31
Largest overlap
Consumer Electronics × Software
Cross-domain patents
1,904
Largest Cross-Domain Overlaps
Domain pairs with the most patents carrying both tags — ranked by overlap count.
1
285 patents
avg 104.8 cit.
51% of Consumer Electronics
2
254 patents
avg 96.5 cit.
62% of Software
3
245 patents
avg 97.5 cit.
44% of Consumer Electronics
4
175 patents
avg 29.5 cit.
84% of AI & ML
5
121 patents
avg 374.2 cit.
71% of Biotechnology
6
119 patents
avg 26.5 cit.
57% of AI & ML
7
116 patents
avg 28.3 cit.
56% of AI & ML
8
113 patents
avg 141.8 cit.
20% of Consumer Electronics
9
76 patents
avg 109.0 cit.
49% of Semiconductors
10
46 patents
avg 171.2 cit.
30% of Semiconductors
Single-Domain Patent Counts
Reference: total patents per domain (base for computing overlap percentages).
| Domain | Patents in DB |
|---|---|
Consumer Electronics | 559 |
Software | 412 |
Telecom | 354 |
AI & ML | 208 |
Biotechnology | 171 |
Semiconductors | 155 |
Pharma | 124 |
Automotive | 97 |
Clean Energy | 83 |
Gene Editing | 21 |
Most Interconnected Domains
Which domains co-appear with the most other domains? High connectivity = technology cross-pollinator.
1
Software
8 domain partners
2
Biotechnology
8 domain partners
3
Consumer Electronics
7 domain partners
4
Telecom
7 domain partners
5
AI & ML
7 domain partners
6
Semiconductors
7 domain partners
7
Automotive
6 domain partners
8
Clean Energy
6 domain partners
Why cross-domain patents matter
Patents at the intersection of two domains are often the most commercially potent — they can be asserted against a wider range of products and companies. An AI+pharmaceutical patent can block both software platforms and drug development workflows. Cross-domain inventors are also often the most innovative, drawing from multiple knowledge bases.
Reading the overlap percentage
When AI+Biotech shows 18% overlap for AI patents, it means 18% of all AI patents also carry a biotech tag. This is a directional signal: the higher the percentage, the more the domains have merged in practice. Percentages above 10% indicate significant technology fusion; above 25% suggests the "second domain" has become a primary application area.
Which convergences are accelerating?
The AI+Healthcare convergence (covering AI+pharmaceutical and AI+biotech) is the fastest-moving in our dataset. Gene editing + pharmaceutical overlap is large because many gene editing patents are specifically therapeutic. Semiconductors+telecommunications overlap reflects the hardware stack underlying 5G and Wi-Fi 6 deployment.