The wind direction of the technology circle has changed, yesterday was still talking about 5G, and in the blink of an eye, the whole world began to roll up its sleeves for 6G. But what is the hottest thing about 6G? It's not that the mobile phone signal is so fast that it is flying, nor is it the fantasy of the Internet of Everything, but the string of patent numbers - who has more patents.

This is a global technical wrestling without gunpowder. The United States, our country, and Japan, the three major players are fighting openly and secretly, and behind the patent numbers is full of strength and ambition.

However, how can it be so simple to do 6G? To achieve terabytes of speed per second and microseconds of delay, AI must be involved in the whole process, and a series of problems are in front of everyone. Governments, enterprises, universities, and laboratories roll up their sleeves and do it. Can be done as technology, who can turn the research results into reality in the end? Patents have become the hardest "pass".

When 6G first started, a number of American technology giants targeted core areas such as millimeter wave, spectrum, and AI algorithms. Companies such as Qualcomm and Intel not only developed their own, but simply united with more than a dozen allied countries to pull up an international "standard team", which was really unambiguous and directly invested $450 million to smash it down.

The Americans are very shrewd, and the patented technology is not only for their own use, but also for the whole world to follow their standards.

Although the number of patents in Japan is not as large as that of the United States, it focuses on the sub-terahertz frequency band, hardware verification, key devices and other fields, and is very meticulous. Although Japanese companies and research institutions are not so generous and do not have the large investment of American companies, they have a set of technology implementation and pay attention to pragmatism.

According to the data, there are about 38,000 6G patent applications in the world, with the United States accounting for 35.2%, Japan accounting for 9.9%, and our country taking the lead, directly accounting for 40.3%. This gap is not a little bit, a proper "cliff-like" lead.

What's even more staggering is that 90% of these patents in our country are invention patents, relying on original innovation, not simple minor repairs.

The sharp increase in 6G patents in our country is inseparable from the national top-level design and collaborative innovation between industry, university and research. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology took the lead, Huawei, ZTE and other enterprises joined hands with Tsinghua University, Peking University and other universities to form an innovation alliance of "industry, education and research".

Laboratories engage in basic research, enterprises are responsible for technology transformation, and universities and research institutes provide theories and talents. This model not only avoids repeated investment in separate battles, but also pushes the most cutting-edge technological achievements to industrialization as soon as possible.

The Chinese-style "everyone picks up firewood and the flame is high" has allowed our country to accelerate on the 6G track. The deep integration of industry, education and research connects technological innovation, patent layout and industrial landing into a line, and achieves the synchronous growth of the "patent wall" and "technology tree". Such a collective combat method has become the biggest confidence for our country's 6G patent to be far ahead.

Although the United States has surpassed our country in the number of patents, it has a strong foundation and many tricks. Technology giants such as Qualcomm and Intel not only engage in their own research and development, but also drive a large number of upstream and downstream enterprises to "go overseas in groups" together, striving to take the initiative in the formulation of global 6G standards.

The United States has spared no effort in millimeter wave, AI, network security and other fields, and is willing to invest in standard formulation. 6G patents in the United States are mainly concentrated in enterprises, and the government plays a more "promoter" role, building platforms and guiding directions, so that enterprises can maximize their potential in free competition.

Japan's style of play is more pragmatic. The number of patents is indeed not large, but Japanese companies and research institutions are deeply involved in the fields of the Asia Terahertz frequency band, hardware verification, and key devices. Japan attaches great importance to the "usability" of technology, and strives to apply every patent.

Despite limited capital investment, Japan is known for its refined management and engineer culture, and the "gold content" of patents should not be underestimated.

Everyone understands that patents are not everything. The real test is who can turn patents into products and standards, and then drive the upgrading of the entire industrial chain.

The underlying logic of 6G is to increase the speed to terabytes per second, compress the delay to microseconds, and deeply integrate AI and communication to achieve the true Internet of Everything. By 2030, global data traffic will skyrocket to 5,000EB, 5G is already inadequate, and 6G has become the main battlefield of a new round of scientific and technological revolution.

Who can lead in this competition is not only technological leadership, but also an all-round victory in industrial upgrading, economic growth, and the game of discourse.

The "deep waters" of the 6G patent war lies in the ability to transform patents. Only by transforming patents into standards and products and forming an industrial scale can we take the initiative in the fierce competition of the global industrial chain and win development opportunities. our country has been at the forefront of the number of patents and innovation models, but to win the final victory, we need to continue to make efforts in international standard formulation, industrial chain integration and market expansion.

Although the number of patents in the United States and Japan is not as good as our country, they still have strong competitiveness with their technical heritage and standard alliances. The global pattern of 6G in the future is destined to be a "long-distance race", competing not only for explosiveness, but also for endurance and transformation.

The "cliff-like" leadership of our country's 6G patents has changed not only the industrial pattern, but also the trend of global scientific and technological competition. Behind the number of patents is the upgrading of the innovation system and the victory of the deep integration of industry, education and research.

our country's collective battle in the field of 6G has moved patents from the laboratory to the industrial chain and promoted the rapid implementation of 6G technology. The United States and Japan are not vegetarians, and none of them are left behind in patent layout, standard formulation, and technological innovation. In the next few years, the competition between the three countries in the field of 6G will only become more and more intense.

The leading number of patents does not mean that you can rest easy. our country must make up for the shortcomings of RedCap, comprehensively strengthen the layout of overseas patents, and promote the internationalization of 6G standards and products. Only in this way can we truly achieve "corner overtaking" in the 6G era and transform our country's technological advantages into global industrial advantages.

It is expected that by 2030, the scale of our country's 6G industry is expected to exceed 1.2 trillion yuan, driving the upgrading of the entire information industry chain and injecting strong impetus into high-quality economic development.

The change in the 6G patent pattern also means the reshaping of global scientific and technological discourse. our country should continue to make efforts in international standard formulation, industrial chain integration and market expansion, and promote 6G technology and industry to go global.

The United States and Japan will also continue to increase scientific and technological innovation to promote industrial upgrading and standard setting. The competition between the three countries in the field of 6G will become a new engine for global scientific and technological innovation and promote the development of the world's information industry to a higher level.

The gap in the number of patents reflects the competitiveness of countries in innovation systems, industrial chain collaboration, and standard formulation. our country leads the world with a patent share of 40.3%, thanks to the country's top-level design and the deep integration of industry, education and research.

In the future, the competition of the 6G industry will pay more attention to patent transformation capabilities, standard formulation capabilities, and industrial chain integration capabilities. our country should play a greater role in the formulation of 6G international standards and promote the globalization of technology, standards and industries. The changes in the global 6G pattern will have a profound impact on the world information industry, economic growth and international competition pattern.

epilogue

The 6G patent war is not only a digital game, but also a concentrated embodiment of the global innovation system, industrial collaboration and standard-setting capabilities. With the innovative model of "everyone picking up firewood and high flames", our country has achieved a "cliff-like" lead in the number of patents, but the future victory or defeat depends on the transformation ability of patents, the right to speak standards and the ability to integrate the industrial chain.

The victory or defeat of technology is never based on numbers, and at the critical moment, it depends on who can turn patents into standards and innovations into markets.