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AlibabaBroadcomMicrosoft

Technology portfolios compared in the same window and counting units. Scale is compared only within the same field or subclass.

Same window · published 2025-01-01 — 2025-12-31Some name or date coverage is incomplete; affected counts are lower bounds

This is a structural comparison of collected portfolios. The same requested window does not establish equal entity scope, covered months or industry; no competitive ranking is inferred.

Applicant-name coverage differs. The counts below cover only the listed names and do not represent complete company portfolios.

Alibaba: Applicant names included in these statistics — ALIBABA CHINA CO LTD · ALIBABA CLOUD COMPUTING CO LTD · ALIBABA CLOUD COMPUTING LTD · ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LTDReviewed names not covered — ALIBABA (CHINA) CO., LTD. · ALIBABA CLOUD COMPUTING CO., LTD. · ALIBABA CLOUD COMPUTING LTD. · ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LIMITED · 阿里云计算有限公司 · 阿里巴巴集团控股有限公司 · 阿里巴巴(中国)有限公司

Broadcom: Applicant names included in these statistics — AVAGO TECH INT SALES PTE LID · AVAGO TECH INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE LTD · VMWARE INC · VMWARE LLCReviewed names not covered — AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED · VMWARE INC.

Microsoft: Applicant names included in these statistics — MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLCReviewed names not covered — MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC · MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC.

Alibaba

Publications
1,101
Invention share
96%
Concentration
0.51
Green technology
—

Broadcom

Publications
1,230
Invention share
98%
Concentration
0.41
Green technology
—

Microsoft

Publications
7,140
Invention share
97%
Concentration
0.59
Green technology
—
0.74

Alibaba × Broadcom

0.95

Alibaba × Microsoft

0.85

Broadcom × Microsoft

Cosine similarity of application counts across 35 fields. 1 is identical, 0 is no overlap.

01Technology field mirror

The 12 fields with the largest combined share. Share shows structure; count shows scale.

Technology field mirror
Technology fieldAlibaba / Broadcom / Microsoft
Computer technology
63.5%
42.4%
72.5%
Digital communication
12.5%
45.2%
22.4%
Audio-visual technology
29.8%
3.1%
10.5%
Basic communication processes
0.6%
10.9%
1.3%
Semiconductors
0.6%
7.4%
2.1%
Telecommunications
0%
5.8%
3.3%
IT methods for management
3.7%
0.4%
4.2%
Measurement
0.8%
2.5%
2.1%
Optics
0%
1.4%
3.8%
Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
0.3%
1.8%
2.1%
Control
0.2%
0.5%
1%
Medical technology
0.4%
0.2%
0.7%

Inspect one technology field

Inspect collected applications, portfolio share and supporting publications within one field. A technology overlap does not establish that companies in different industries are direct competitors.

One application may belong to multiple fields, so shares can sum to more than 100%. Drill-down lists publications; an application publication and its grant may appear separately.

02Same problem: shared IPC subclasses

The 10 subclasses in every company's top 60 with the most combined applications. Scale is compared within a subclass, never across different business scopes.

G06FData processing
Alibaba547
Broadcom456
Microsoft3,890
H04LDigital transmission
Alibaba113
Broadcom439
Microsoft1,379
G06NComputing models, AI
Alibaba173
Broadcom28
Microsoft1,064
H04NPictorial communication, video
Alibaba331
Broadcom20
Microsoft482
G06TImage processing
Alibaba67
Broadcom7
Microsoft479
G06VImage and video recognition
Alibaba70
Broadcom4
Microsoft295
G06QBusiness data processing
Alibaba40
Broadcom5
Microsoft290
H04WWireless networks
Alibaba9
Broadcom126
Microsoft196
G10LSpeech processing
Alibaba25
Broadcom2
Microsoft250
H05KPrinted circuits, assemblies
Alibaba3
Broadcom10
Microsoft164

03Where each one leans

Observed emphasis within each company’s collected top-60 IPC subclasses. A dash for another company means outside its top-60 list, not zero applications or a market gap. Incomplete coverage can also change the ordering.

Alibaba

  • H04NPictorial communication, video
    Alibaba
    331
    Broadcom
    20
    Microsoft
    482
  • G06VImage and video recognition
    Alibaba
    70
    Broadcom
    4
    Microsoft
    295
  • G06NComputing models, AI
    Alibaba
    173
    Broadcom
    28
    Microsoft
    1,064
  • B25JManipulators, robots
    Alibaba
    1
    Broadcom
    —
    Microsoft
    —
  • F02B
    Alibaba
    1
    Broadcom
    —
    Microsoft
    —
  • G01F
    Alibaba
    1
    Broadcom
    —
    Microsoft
    —

Broadcom

  • H04LDigital transmission
    Alibaba
    113
    Broadcom
    439
    Microsoft
    1,379
  • H04WWireless networks
    Alibaba
    9
    Broadcom
    126
    Microsoft
    196
  • H03MCoding, decoding
    Alibaba
    7
    Broadcom
    62
    Microsoft
    47
  • H01LSemiconductor devices
    Alibaba
    4
    Broadcom
    60
    Microsoft
    51
  • H04BTransmission
    Alibaba
    —
    Broadcom
    58
    Microsoft
    108
  • H10W
    Alibaba
    1
    Broadcom
    36
    Microsoft
    49

Microsoft

  • G06FData processing
    Alibaba
    547
    Broadcom
    456
    Microsoft
    3,890
  • G02BOptical elements
    Alibaba
    —
    Broadcom
    14
    Microsoft
    236
  • H05KPrinted circuits, assemblies
    Alibaba
    3
    Broadcom
    10
    Microsoft
    164
  • G10LSpeech processing
    Alibaba
    25
    Broadcom
    2
    Microsoft
    250
  • H04MTelephonic communication
    Alibaba
    —
    Broadcom
    —
    Microsoft
    83
  • A63F
    Alibaba
    —
    Broadcom
    —
    Microsoft
    69

04Publication rhythm

AlibabaBroadcomMicrosoftPublications per period
Publications per period
PeriodAlibabaBroadcomMicrosoft
2025-01≥78 (partial coverage)≥207 (partial coverage)≥539 (partial coverage)
2025-02≥71 (partial coverage)≥92 (partial coverage)≥503 (partial coverage)
2025-03≥72 (partial coverage)≥141 (partial coverage)≥603 (partial coverage)
2025-04≥65 (partial coverage)≥163 (partial coverage)≥647 (partial coverage)
2025-05≥71 (partial coverage)≥101 (partial coverage)≥566 (partial coverage)
2025-06≥83 (partial coverage)≥79 (partial coverage)≥487 (partial coverage)
2025-07≥82 (partial coverage)≥77 (partial coverage)≥686 (partial coverage)
2025-08≥104 (partial coverage)≥56 (partial coverage)≥563 (partial coverage)
2025-09≥119 (partial coverage)≥69 (partial coverage)≥587 (partial coverage)
2025-10≥94 (partial coverage)≥86 (partial coverage)≥689 (partial coverage)
2025-11≥115 (partial coverage)≥94 (partial coverage)≥582 (partial coverage)
2025-12≥147 (partial coverage)≥65 (partial coverage)≥688 (partial coverage)

Empty dashed outlines mark uncollected periods. Hatched bars and ≥ counts mark partial coverage.

Publication timing follows examination and publication cycles, not R&D intensity.

What makes it comparableThe same publication window and counting units. Companies with different windows are not put in one comparison.

What is not comparableGroup totals. Business and entity scopes differ; compare scale within a field or subclass.

Not a rankingSimilarity and shares describe structure, not patent value, quality or technical leadership.