The aerospace and defense industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and the growing importance of technologies such as drones, satellite technology, and big data. In the last three years alone, there have been over 84,000 patents filed and granted in the aerospace and defense industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Artificial intelligence in defense: AI video analytics. 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.

110 innovations will shape the aerospace and defense industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the aerospace and defense industry using innovation intensity models built on over 260,000 patents, there are 110 innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, precision imaging drones, satellite image smoothing and AI in trajectory prediction are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Autonomous flight trajectory generation, autonomous mobile bots and aerial imaging are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily.

Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the aerospace and defense industry

AI video analytics is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence

AI video analytics involves using AI techniques, such as machine learning and computer vision, to analyze and extract meaningful information from video footage. It utilizes algorithms and models to automatically identify and interpret objects, events, and patterns in video data, enabling applications such as surveillance, object tracking, crowd monitoring, and activity detection. AI video analytics aims to enhance the capabilities of traditional video surveillance systems by providing intelligent insights and real-time alerts.

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 1,840+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established aerospace and defense companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of AI video analytics.

Key players in AI video analytics – a disruptive innovation in the aerospace and defense 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 AI video analytics

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Samsung Group 725 Unlock Company Profile
Baidu 658 Unlock Company Profile
Tencent 633 Unlock Company Profile
International Business Machines 508 Unlock Company Profile
ADOBE 381 Unlock Company Profile
Intel 380 Unlock Company Profile
NVIDIA 375 Unlock Company Profile
Alphabet 373 Unlock Company Profile
Stradvision 359 Unlock Company Profile
NEC 291 Unlock Company Profile
LG 288 Unlock Company Profile
Huawei Investment 254 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing SenseTime Technology Development 250 Unlock Company Profile
Meta Platforms 249 Unlock Company Profile
Siemens 229 Unlock Company Profile
Canon 229 Unlock Company Profile
Robert Bosch Stiftung 214 Unlock Company Profile
Microsoft 202 Unlock Company Profile
Ford Motor 184 Unlock Company Profile
Qualcomm 181 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 177 Unlock Company Profile
General Motors 160 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group 154 Unlock Company Profile
The Saudi Public Investment Fund 149 Unlock Company Profile
KLA 145 Unlock Company Profile
Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China 145 Unlock Company Profile
Fujitsu 145 Unlock Company Profile
Beijing Electronics 137 Unlock Company Profile
Fujifilm 136 Unlock Company Profile
Amazon.com 133 Unlock Company Profile
Snap 128 Unlock Company Profile
Alibaba Group 125 Unlock Company Profile
Apple 124 Unlock Company Profile
Capital One Financial 120 Unlock Company Profile
State Grid Corporation of China 110 Unlock Company Profile
Enlitic 108 Unlock Company Profile
Salesforce 90 Unlock Company Profile
Hitachi 87 Unlock Company Profile
Honda Motor 87 Unlock Company Profile
Illumina 86 Unlock Company Profile
Toshiba 78 Unlock Company Profile
China Southern Power Grid 77 Unlock Company Profile
General Electric 76 Unlock Company Profile
Micron Technology 72 Unlock Company Profile
Applied Materials 70 Unlock Company Profile
Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare 65 Unlock Company Profile
Tata Sons 65 Unlock Company Profile
Aptiv 61 Unlock Company Profile
Advanced New Technologies 61 Unlock Company Profile
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone 61 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Samsung Group, Baidu and Tencent are the leading patent filers in the AI video analytics. Some other key patent filers in the AI video analytics space include International Business Machines (IBM) ADOBE and Intel.

In terms of application diversity Meta Platforms, Samsung Group, and International Business Machines (IBM) are some of the leading innovators. By means of geographic reach, some of the leading patent filers include Enlitic, Illumina, and The Saudi Public Investment Fund.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the aerospace and defense industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Defense.

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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.