Nvidia Patent Portfolio Analysis

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Disclaimer: This report has been updated through 29 August 2025. The information is provided for reference only and does not represent any opinion, recommendation, or endorsement.

Overview

Nvidia Corporation, a global provider of GPU computing and AI systems, holds a significant patent portfolio across software, hardware, and system-level technologies. This report presents a structured analysis of Nvidia’s intellectual property holdings, covering metrics, asset status, jurisdictions, technology domains, citations, litigation, ownership, and recent acquisitions.

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Key Metrics:

Total Patents: 18,658
Simple Families: 8,555
Extended Families: 7,923
Jurisdictions Covered: 26
Litigated Patents: 11
Challenged Patents: 6

Asset Status:

Active Grants: 7,886
Active Applications: 6,077
Abandoned Applications: 1,979
Expired Due to Fees: 591
Withdrawn Applications: 231

Jurisdictional Distribution

Nvidia’s patent portfolio spans 26 jurisdictions, with the following totals across the top regions:

United States (US): 9,880
China (CN): 2,406
Germany (DE): 2,149
WIPO (WO): 994
Taiwan (TW): 753
United Kingdom (GB): 517
Japan (JP): 511
European Patent Office (EP): 451
South Korea (KR): 280
Australia (AU): 163

Technological Distribution

- Software: 6,328
- Networking: 4,177
- Computer Systems & Components: 3,782
- Imaging: 900
- Consumer Goods: 831
- Semiconductor: 525
- Consumer Electronics: 410
- Automotive: 231
- Industrial: 160

Citations

Top Cited Patents

US8738860B1 – 525 citations
US6352479B1 – 511 citations
US6546393B1 – 470 citations
US7805587B1 – 438 citations
US6034963A – 436 citations
US6438575B1 – 419 citations
US10891538B2 – 305 citations
US6697063B1 – 299 citations
US7043649B2 – 288 citations
US10528864B2 – 282 citations

Top Citing Patents

US9331869B2 – 435 citations
US8923385B2 – 401 citations
US8711156B1 – 399 citations
US8723231B1 – 397 citations
US8775997B2 – 396 citations
US8768642B2 – 396 citations
US8704275B2 – 396 citations
US8872833B2 – 396 citations
US8775112B2 – 394 citations
US8711161B1 – 394 citations

Competitive Landscape

Top Citing Assignees

Nvidia Corporation – 3,187 citations
Intel Corporation – 1,425
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. – 1,313
IBM – 930
AMD – 828
Qualcomm, Inc. – 797
Microsoft Corporation – 766
Apple Inc. – 598
Alphabet Inc. – 542
Sony Group Corp. – 406

Top Cited Assignees

Nvidia Corporation – 4,952 citations
Intel Corporation – 4,348
IBM – 3,615
Microsoft Corporation – 2,996
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. – 2,562
AMD – 2,073
Broadcom, Inc. – 2,065
Oracle Corporation – 2,028
Qualcomm, Inc. – 1,969
HP Inc. – 1,878

Litigation Activities

Nvidia’s portfolio includes 11 litigated patents. Litigation activity has been limited and focused across a few U.S. courts.

Litigation by Year

1998: 0
1999: 0
2000: 0
2001: 0
2002: 0

Top Plaintiffs

Nvidia Corporation – 3 cases
Cirrus Logic Inc. – 1 case
Eagle Pharmaceuticals Inc. – 1 case

Top Defendants

Microsoft Corporation – 2 cases
Sony Interactive Entertainment – 1 case
Samsung Electronics – 1 case
Qualcomm, Inc. – 1 case

Top Venues

District of Delaware (D. Del.) – 2 cases
District of New Jersey (D.N.J.) – 1 case
Northern District of California (N.D. Cal.) – 1 case

Ownership and Acquisition

By Ownership Type

Originally Assigned Patents: 17,701
Acquired Patents: 957

Sources of Acquired Patents

Universities: 3
Other Sources: 84

Patent Portfolio Ageing by Estimated Expiration

Patenting Activity by Publication/Issue Year

Notable Acquisitions and Mergers

2020 – Mellanox Technologies
Nvidia completed the acquisition of Mellanox Technologies to strengthen its data center and high-performance networking capabilities, significantly expanding its IP in interconnect and networking solutions.

2022 – Bright Computing
The acquisition of Bright Computing added expertise in cluster management software for high-performance computing (HPC), complementing Nvidia’s GPU-accelerated systems portfolio.

2023 – Excelero
Nvidia acquired Excelero, a company focused on NVMe storage software, enhancing its storage acceleration and data infrastructure IP.

Business Performance

NVIDIA’s stock price was about $22 per share in 2015. The stock surged beginning in 2020, rising over 600% following record data center and AI chip demand. Momentum continued through 2023, with the price reaching $160 at year-end and peaking in August 2025 at close to $183.

In 2022, NVIDIA stock experienced a decline of about 51%, but rebounded by nearly 246% in 2023 and posted a 30% gain in 2025 as of August. The movement from $22 in 2015 to nearly $180 in mid-2025 represents an overall gain of over 700%.

C-Suite Executives (2025)

Jensen Huang: Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer

Colette Kress: Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Headquarters

2788 San Tomas Expressway, Santa Clara, California 95051, USA

Conclusion

Nvidia’s patent portfolio consists of 18,658 assets across 26 jurisdictions, with major concentrations in the United States, China, and Germany. The portfolio spans multiple technology areas, led by software, networking, and computer systems.

Citation data highlights several highly referenced patents, and major companies such as Intel, Samsung, IBM, and Microsoft frequently cite Nvidia’s filings. Litigation activity has involved 11 patents, with cases recorded in Delaware, New Jersey, and California.

Most patents are developed in-house, with a smaller portion acquired. Recent acquisitions within the last decade include Mellanox Technologies (2020), Bright Computing (2022), and Excelero (2023).

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