In a landmark revelation ahead of World Intellectual Property Day, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) released its annual intellectual property report, ‘Patent Pulse 2025 – Decoding India’s Ascent in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Patent Landscape’. The report shines a spotlight on India's significant growth in the global patent ecosystem, particularly in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Between 2010 and 2025, India saw the filing of over 86,000 AI-related patents, accounting for more than 25% of all technology patents in the country. This immense volume underscores India's rising stature in the global innovation landscape, as it now holds the position of the fifth-largest patent filer in the world.

India’s AI Patent Boom Driven by Machine Learning and GenAI

The report details that Machine Learning (ML) continues to be the most dominant technological category within AI, forming 55% of all AI-related patent filings. The emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) as a transformative technology is particularly noteworthy. GenAI alone accounts for 50% of all ML-related patents and 28% of total AI-related patents in India—despite representing only 6% of the global AI patent landscape.

These statistics highlight India’s strategic pivot towards cutting-edge AI innovations, where the country now ranks among the top five globally in GenAI patents, reinforcing its ambition to become a global AI powerhouse.

Accelerated Growth in Recent Years

The pace of AI patent filings has intensified dramatically. The number of filings from 2021 to 2025 was seven times higher than those recorded from 2010 to 2015, indicating a substantial post-pandemic push in deep tech research, driven by private enterprises, government-supported initiatives, and academic institutions.

In FY24 alone, India filed over 90,000 patents across all domains, marking the seventh consecutive year of filing growth. Notably, more than 1,00,000 patents were granted, a threefold increase from the previous year, signaling significant improvements in the country's patent office processing and approval mechanisms.

Rise in Domestic Filings and Educational Contributions

For the first time, resident Indian filers accounted for over 55% of total filings in FY24, up from 52.3% in FY23. This growing share illustrates a deepening culture of domestic innovation, especially among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and educational institutions.

India’s patent-to-GDP ratio has risen from 144 in 2013 to 381 in 2023, marking a 2.6x increase. This metric, which measures the intensity of innovation relative to economic output, reflects a maturing innovation ecosystem, supported by enhanced awareness, funding, and government incentives.

However, challenges remain. While filings from educational institutions have increased, their filing-to-grant ratio remains low at just 1%, suggesting a need for capacity building in drafting quality applications and navigating patent office procedures.

Challenges in Patent Grant Ratios

One of the more sobering findings in the report is India’s low AI patent grant ratio of 0.37%, significantly behind global leaders such as China and the United States. This suggests that although filing rates are high, acceptance rates are considerably low, potentially due to issues around application quality, insufficient follow-ups, or the complexity of examining AI-related innovations.

India’s patent ecosystem for AI still requires structural reforms. These include enhanced training for patent examiners, standardized metrics for AI-related claims, and specialized fast-track channels for high-impact technologies such as GenAI and quantum computing.

Global Comparisons and Strategic Opportunities

In the global context, India’s AI patent landscape shows immense promise but is in urgent need of strategic consolidation. While India represents only a fraction of global GenAI filings, its 28% share of GenAI in local AI filings positions it uniquely for international partnerships and technology transfer deals.

Interestingly, 17% of all AI-related patents filed in India between 2010 and 2025 originated from the United States, underscoring the growing collaboration between Indian and American firms in AI research and development.

This international filing trend reflects both the strength of India’s IP infrastructure and the attractiveness of its innovation ecosystem to foreign stakeholders.

Policy and Ecosystem Support

The Government of India has taken several steps to boost patent awareness and streamline processes, such as:

• Reduction in filing fees for educational institutions and start-ups.

• Fast-track examination processes for critical technology sectors.

• Awareness campaigns and IPR cells in technical universities.

• Support for incubation centers and patent drafting assistance for MSMEs.

These initiatives have played a significant role in broadening participation in patent filings beyond traditional tech giants to include universities, research labs, and solo inventors.

Future Outlook: India’s Path to IP Leadership

As India continues to push towards becoming a global technology leader, AI patents will play a pivotal role in shaping its digital economy. The expanding footprint in ML and GenAI patents demonstrates that India is not merely a technology consumer, but an emerging creator of intellectual capital.

If challenges related to low grant ratios, quality filings, and examiner bandwidth are addressed, India has the potential to climb even higher in the global innovation rankings.

Furthermore, with new-age tech start-ups, academic labs, and multinational R&D centers investing aggressively in AI, India’s intellectual property portfolio is likely to become both deeper and more commercially relevant.

Conclusion

NASSCOM’s Patent Pulse 2025 report offers an insightful overview of India’s rapidly evolving AI patent landscape. With over 86,000 AI patents filed between 2010 and 2025, a growing share of filings from domestic players, and a strong presence in cutting-edge areas like Generative AI, India’s innovation trajectory is clearly accelerating.

While systemic improvements are required to improve grant success rates, the foundation has been laid for India to emerge as a global innovation powerhouse, particularly in AI and other emerging technologies.

Would you like similar coverage on India’s quantum or semiconductor patent filings next?

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