Tsinghua University has collected more than 4,986 AI and machine learning patents between 2005 and the end of 2024, surpassing the combined total of patents from MIT, Stanford, Princeton, and Harvard during the same period. The Beijing-based institution received over 900 patents in 2024 alone, indicating a rapid acceleration in its research and innovation efforts. According to data analytics firm LexisNexis, China now holds more than half of all active patent families in AI and machine learning globally, signaling a significant shift in the technological landscape.
While Tsinghua University leads in the number of AI patents, the United States still maintains its influence in terms of patent quality and top-performing models. American institutions, such as Harvard and MIT, consistently rank higher in patent influence and have produced more influential AI technologies. However, the gap between U.S. and Chinese institutions is narrowing, as evidenced by the fact that American organizations generated 40 notable AI models in 2024, compared to 15 from Chinese entities, according to the Stanford AI Index Report.
The growing prominence of Chinese research in AI is also reflected in the increasing number of top AI researchers from China. The global share of the top 2% of AI researchers has risen from 10% in 2019 to 26% in 2022, according to the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. Meanwhile, the U.S. share of the top 2% has decreased from 35% to 28% over the same period. These trends highlight the evolving dynamics in global AI innovation, with China emerging as a formidable player in the field.