The technology industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by increasing emphasis on energy efficiency, the proliferation of portable and battery-powered devices, and the need for sustainable computing solutions in various industries, and growing importance of technologies such as advanced power management algorithms, hardware-based power monitoring, and intelligent load balancing strategies. In the last three years alone, there have been over 4.1 million patents filed and granted in the technology industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in technology: PCI power management. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
190+ innovations will shape the technology industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the technology industry using innovation intensity models built on over 1.5 million patents, there are 190+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, network-on-a-chip, in-memory computing, and aural exciters are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Electron beam lithography, OLED pixel compensation circuits, and PCI power management are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are capacitive touch panels and emergency communications network, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the technology industry
PCI power management is a key innovation area in technology
PCI power management encompasses the strategies and approaches employed to efficiently regulate power consumption in devices utilizing the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) standard. This entails overseeing and fine-tuning the power utilization of PCI devices to enhance energy efficiency, prolong battery life, and curtail overall power usage.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 160+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of PCI power management.
Key players in PCI power management – a disruptive innovation in the technology industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to PCI power management
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Silicon Motion Technology | 19 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Qualcomm | 173 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cirrus Logic | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Texas Instruments | 89 | Unlock Company Profile |
| MediaTek | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Apple | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alibaba Group | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Murata Manufacturing | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Renesas Electronics | 50 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Advanced Micro Devices | 47 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Canon | 69 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Realtek Semiconductor | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Infineon Technologies | 57 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IBM | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
| STMicroelectronics | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Denso | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Broadcom | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Inspur Electronic Information Industry | 38 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Microchip Technology | 143 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intel | 633 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Seiko Epson | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Micron Technology | 132 | Unlock Company Profile |
| American Megatrends | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Liqid | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Guangzhou Shiyuan Electronic Technology | 33 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Brydge Technologies | 19 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kioxia | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Guangzhou Shirui Electronics | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Shanghai Cambricon Information Technology | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Suzhou Langchao Intelligent Technology | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Among the companies innovating in PCI power management, Intel is one of the leading patents filers. The company’s patent describes a compute sled equipped with a network interface controller and circuitry to decide whether to enhance a specific task within a workload being processed by the compute sled. If acceleration is deemed necessary, the compute sled communicates the relevant dataset to a memory sled. Subsequently, it receives a service identifier from the memory sled, which serves as a unique reference to the data associated with the task. The compute sled then forwards a request to a compute device, instructing it to schedule the task's acceleration using the dataset. Once the acceleration is complete, the compute sled receives a notification confirming its completion and retrieves the resulting dataset from the memory sled using the service identifier. This dataset is the product of the task's acceleration by a dedicated accelerator device. The technology aims to streamline the provisioning of accelerated functions within a disaggregated architecture. Other prominent patent filers in the space include Qualcomm and Microchip Technology.
In terms of application diversity, Denso leads the pack, while Brydge Technologies and Shanghai Cambricon Information Technology stood in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Guangzhou Shiyuan Electronic Technology held the top position, followed by Guangzhou Shirui Electronics and Brydge Technologies.
PCI power management plays a crucial role in optimizing energy consumption for devices adhering to the Peripheral Component Interconnect standard. By efficiently regulating power usage, it not only extends battery life but also contributes to a more sustainable and energy-conscious approach to technology.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Technology.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
