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
36
Largest overlap
Consumer Electronics × Software
Cross-domain patents
2,939
Largest Cross-Domain Overlaps
Domain pairs with the most patents carrying both tags — ranked by overlap count.
1
394 patents
avg 76.8 cit.
54% of Consumer Electronics
2
381 patents
avg 65.5 cit.
67% of Software
3
378 patents
avg 64.9 cit.
52% of Consumer Electronics
4
229 patents
avg 23.1 cit.
85% of AI & ML
5
191 patents
avg 238.3 cit.
67% of Biotechnology
6
170 patents
avg 96.6 cit.
23% of Consumer Electronics
7
167 patents
avg 19.8 cit.
62% of AI & ML
8
159 patents
avg 21.4 cit.
59% of AI & ML
9
124 patents
avg 70.3 cit.
56% of Semiconductors
10
79 patents
avg 42.5 cit.
55% of Automotive
Single-Domain Patent Counts
Reference: total patents per domain (base for computing overlap percentages).
| Domain | Patents in DB |
|---|---|
Consumer Electronics | 734 |
Software | 570 |
Telecom | 530 |
Biotechnology | 285 |
AI & ML | 270 |
Semiconductors | 222 |
Pharma | 194 |
Automotive | 144 |
Clean Energy | 123 |
Gene Editing | 41 |
Most Interconnected Domains
Which domains co-appear with the most other domains? High connectivity = technology cross-pollinator.
1
Software
9 domain partners
2
Telecom
9 domain partners
3
Consumer Electronics
8 domain partners
4
AI & ML
8 domain partners
5
Biotechnology
8 domain partners
6
Semiconductors
7 domain partners
7
Clean Energy
7 domain partners
8
Pharma
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.