The update to the International Patent Classification reorganises global technical knowledge to reflect the semiconductor revolution, the energy transition and the explosion of artificial intelligence.
In early 2026, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) published the Spanish translation of the new IPC 2026.01 edition. This may seem like a purely technical event reserved for specialists, but it actually acts as a barometer of where global innovation is heading.
The IPC is the reference system used by more than 100 industrial property offices around the world to classify and retrieve patent documents. Every time it is updated, it is because technology has advanced enough to demand new categories that accommodate inventions that previously had no proper place. This year’s edition is, in that sense, particularly telling.
The end of H01L and the birth of class H10: semiconductors reorganise
The most striking change in IPC 2026.01 is the definitive removal of subclass H01L, for decades the all-encompassing category for solid-state electronics and semiconductor devices. In its place, the system consolidates the new class H10, completing a restructuring that has been under way for years.
With the addition of subclasses H10P and H10W, dedicated to manufacturing processes and other constructional details of semiconductor devices, class H10 is now fully operational. Alongside them, new main groups are created: H10B 80/00, H10D 80/00, H10D 87/00, H10D 88/00, H10D 89/00, H10K 19/00 and H10N 19/00.
Why does this matter? Because semiconductors are today the heart of the digital economy. High-density chips for artificial intelligence, next-generation transistors, wide-bandgap semiconductors for electric vehicles and integrated photonics are technologies that the old H01L subclass could no longer classify with the precision they require.
The new H10 architecture allows for much greater granularity, enabling more precise prior art searches and, therefore, more reliable analysis of the competitive landscape. For those managing patent portfolios in the semiconductor sector — today a strategically critical field for obvious geopolitical reasons — this improvement is far from trivial.
H02J and energy storage: the IPC embraces the energy transition
The restructuring of subclass H02J, covering networks and systems for the supply and storage of electrical energy, is another sign of the times. The rise of next-generation batteries, intelligent energy management systems, microgrids and storage linked to renewable energy sources has driven a surge in patent applications in this field.
The revision of H02J responds to that pressure: when a category accumulates tens of thousands of documents without sufficient granularity, searching becomes inefficient and examiners cannot rigorously assess the novelty of inventions. Reorganising this space improves the quality of the patent system in one of the sectors with the highest R&D investment of the current decade.
G06T and generative artificial intelligence: images finally have their own place
Outside Section H, the creation of new main group G06T 12/00 in the field of computer image processing and generation stands out, along with updates to G06T 11/00. Class G06T has been identified in patent analysis studies as one of the central axes of innovation in artificial intelligence.
The explosion of generative models — from photorealistic image synthesis to computer vision systems for autonomous vehicles — has filled a space that needed to grow. The creation of G06T 12/00 reflects that AI image generation has reached a critical mass sufficient to warrant its own main category, distinct from more classical image processing.
When the IPC creates specific groups for emerging technologies, it amounts to an official recognition of their maturity: if there is a sufficient body of patents to justify a dedicated category, that technology is no longer science fiction — it is industry.
F26B 21/00: industrial efficiency also deserves an update
The updates to group F26B 21/00, relating to drying processes, may seem more prosaic, but they too respond to a real trend: the energy optimisation of industrial processes. Regulatory pressures around energy efficiency and carbon footprint are driving innovation across sectors as diverse as food processing, pharmaceuticals and battery manufacturing — all of them intensive in drying or dehydration processes.
What does this mean for the management of your intellectual property?
Changes to the IPC are not mere classificatory bureaucracy. They have direct practical consequences:
- Prior art searches use the IPC as their index. A more granular classification improves completeness and reduces the risk of overlooking relevant documents.
- Technology watch analyses and competitor patent portfolio monitoring benefit from a more precise taxonomy, especially in high-activity sectors such as semiconductors, energy and AI.
- The reclassification of existing documents may affect how patent offices locate and cite prior art during the examination of new applications.
- Knowing the new structure allows descriptions and claims to be drafted using the appropriate technical terminology, guiding classification more effectively from the very start of the process.
At Marques & Ferrer, we keep a close eye on these updates because we understand that protecting our clients’ innovation requires staying current with the systems that organise and make it retrievable. The IPC 2026.01 is, ultimately, a mirror of the technology of our time: more complex semiconductors, more distributed energy and more generative artificial intelligence. Knowing it well is part of our job. Shall we begin?