Clarivate announced the 15th edition of its Top 100 Global Innovators list today in London. The ranking tracks organisations that deliver high value inventions and lead in invention quality, originality and global reach. Clarivate said the 2026 report shows innovation leadership moving from scale to precision, with AI now being involved even in research, engineering and commercial work.
The Top 100 organisations account for 16% of the world’s highest strength AI inventions, according to Clarivate. The report shows AI related patent activity has doubled again and again since 2019, with more than one million invention specifications published before mid 2025. Generative AI and deep learning now rank as the fastest moving areas in technology.
Maroun S. Mourad, President, Intellectual Property, Clarivate, said: “Recognition as a Top 100 Global Innovator is a remarkable achievement given the pace of change and in the 2026 edition, we feature 16 all-time recipient organisations. Multi-year winners and new entrants are investing in AI innovation as it redefines the boundaries between research, engineering and commercial execution. The leaders we celebrate today are not just responding to this shift, they are designing for it.”
Which Countries and Companies Led The 2026 Ranking?
Japan leads the global table with 32 organisations named and holds five of the top 10 ranked places. Mainland China and South Korea hold two top 10 spots each, and the United States holds one. Clarivate said Japan now accounts for 32% of this year’s Top 100 Global Innovators.
After Japan, the United States has 18 organisations on the list. Taiwan has 12. Germany and South Korea each have eight. Mainland China and the Netherlands recorded growth in the number of organisations named. Ireland and Saudi Arabia returned to the list this year.
Samsung Electronics kept its place as the number one ranked global innovator and has appeared in all 15 editions of the Top 100 list. Six organisations earned Top 100 status for the first time: Aptiv, CXMT, GE Vernova, Silicon Motion, Subaru and ZTE.
Clarivate also named 16 all time recipient organisations that kept their Top 100 status. These are Boeing, Dow, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Honda, Honeywell, LG Electronics, NEC, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Shin Etsu Chemical, Sony, Toshiba and Toyota. The analysis comes from the Clarivate Center for IP and Innovation Research and uses the Derwent Strength Index to track influence, success, rarity and investment behind inventions.
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Where Does the UK Stand, And What Does It Need To Join The Top Countries?
The 2026 Top 100 Global Innovators list does not name any UK based organisation. Clarivate’s country tables show Japan, the United States, Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, Mainland China, the Netherlands, Ireland and Saudi Arabia among countries with entries, but the UK did not make it.
Ireland, on the other hand, returned to the list this year through Aptiv, which earned Top 100 status for the first time. Saudi Arabia returned through Saudi Aramco. France went from seven organisations to five, showing how country positions can change from year to year.
Clarivate said entry to the Top 100 rests on sustained invention output and global reach. To qualify, organisations must file at least 500 inventions since 2000 and secure 100 granted inventions inside a five year review window from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2024.
The Derwent Strength Index measures four areas, and they are: influence, investment, success and rarity. Clarivate said this tracks how often inventions shape later work, how rare their technology mix is, how often patents get granted and how widely protection runs across borders.
The report also shows AI now runs through modern invention work. AI patent filings have doubled again and again since 2019 and more than one million AI invention specifications had been published before mid 2025. Generative AI and deep learning now lead technology growth. Clarivate said the Top 100 group holds 16% of the world’s strongest AI inventions.
