Cloud innovation among automotive industry companies has dropped off in the last year

Research and innovation in cloud in the automotive manufacturing and supply sector has declined in the last year.

The most recent figures show that the number of related patent applications in the industry stood at 1047 in the three months ending May – down from 1414 over the same period in 2021.

Figures for patent grants related to followed a different pattern to filings – growing from 564 in the three months ending May 2021 to 783 in the same period in 2022.

The figures are compiled by GlobalData, who track patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Using textual analysis, as well as official patent classifications, these patents are grouped into key thematic areas, and linked to key companies across various industries.

is one of the key areas tracked by GlobalData. It has been identified as being a key disruptive force facing companies in the coming years, and is one of the areas that companies investing resources in now are expected to reap rewards from.

The figures also provide an insight into the largest innovators in the sector.

Toyota Motor Corp was the top innovator in the automotive manufacturing and supply sector in the latest quarter. The company, which has its headquarters in Japan, filed 233 related patents in the three months ending May. That was down from 248 over the same period in 2021.

It was followed by the United States based Ford Motor Co with 133 patent applications, Germany based Porsche Automobil Holding SE (130 applications), and China based Chongqing Changan Automobile Co Ltd (84 applications).

Chongqing Changan Automobile Co Ltd has recently ramped up R&D in . It saw growth of 90.5% in related patent applications in the three months ending May compared to the same period in 2021 – the highest percentage growth out of all companies tracked with more than 10 quarterly patents in the automotive manufacturing and supply sector.