Valley's number of AI, machine learning patents push it into top 25 most innovative metros

The Valley is one of the nation’s 25 most innovative metros, according to a new study that examined artificial intelligence and machine-learning patent activity across the nation.

The Phoenix metro just edged on to the list from CommercialCafe, coming in at No. 25. That was thanks to a total of 185 patents in AI technologies issued to Valley inventors, the report said.

Though the Valley made the top 25, its patent number is just a sliver of what was racked up in traditional innovation hubs such as the Bay Area, New York, Seattle and Los Angeles, all of which had more than 2,000 patents. The San Jose metro led the way by far with 9,798 patents recorded, ahead of No. 2 New York’s 6,275. San Francisco rounded out the top three with 4,919.

Silicon Valley’s dominance is due in part to the research culture that exists there, where technology is often developed before specific products are envisioned, the report said.

The report’s authors said that 4,980 U.S. entities had obtained at least one AI or machine learning patent by the end of 2022. They said patent numbers started increasing notably after 2010 but shot up from 2019 through 2021.

The all-time high point was 2021, when nearly 10,000 patents were issued nationwide, up from 8,304 the year before and significantly higher than 2022’s 4,909.

In every year analyzed, the leading companies for patents were IBM, Microsoft and Google. IBM commands the patent count with more than 4,580 filed between 2010 and 2022. Microsoft had 2,345 patents and Google had 1,950.

In fourth place is Intel, a company that employs more than 12,000 people in the Valley. Intel started surging with patents after about 2015, and came close to closing the gap with Google, clocking in at 1,490 AI patents by the end of 2022.

CommercialCafe used data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office obtained in 2022 and said its numbers may not reflect the total of relevant patents issued.

Here’s a look at all 25 metros that made CommercialCafe’s top 25, along with their patent totals as of 2022: