Power GaN patent activity rises in Q2 2026

A Q2 2026 patent monitor from KnowMade indicates significant activity in the lateral power Gallium Nitride (GaN) landscape. During this period, approximately 500 patent families were published, with roughly 300 receiving their first grants and 800 individual patents being granted.

Innovation concentrated heavily on enhancement-mode transistors, circuits, and applications, with thermal management remaining a consistent technical focus across wafers, packaging, and modules. Patent protection efforts were primarily centered in China and the United States, while Europe and South Korea showed positive filing trends, contrasting with activity in Japan and Taiwan.

In the power GaN device sector, Innoscience led in newly published and granted inventions, though Innoscience, Texas Instruments, and Samsung reached similar levels regarding the total number of individual patents granted. Academic institutions such as UESTC and Xidian University demonstrated strong intellectual property activity. In the upstream segment, WaveLord led wafer and epiwafer patent activity, while Nexperia and Mitsubishi Electric led in the packaging and modules categories.