Neural Network Processor (NPU) Intellectual Property (IP) Market Global Report 2026

The neural network processor (npu) intellectual property (ip) market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $30.51 billion in 2025 to $36.05 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to the increasing adoption of AI-enabled electronic devices, rising demand for on-device AI processing, growing use of SoC-based computing architectures, increasing demand for efficient neural network inference, and expanding deployment of AI capabilities across embedded devices.

The neural network processor (npu) intellectual property (ip) market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $69.19 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.7%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing demand for greater neural processing performance, rising need for energy-efficient AI acceleration, growing demand for scalable NPU IP designs, increasing adoption of advanced semiconductor architectures, and expanding need for flexible AI processing across diverse SoC platforms. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing demand for reusable NPU IP blocks, rising adoption of configurable neural processing architectures, growing demand for optimized matrix multiplication acceleration, increasing focus on reducing silicon area requirements, and rising demand for low-power neural network processing.

The increasing investments in autonomous vehicles are expected to propel the growth of the neural network processor (NPU) intellectual property (IP) market going forward. Investments in autonomous vehicles refer to funding allocated toward the development, production, and deployment of self-driving technologies to improve autonomous mobility, safety, and transportation efficiency. Increasing investments in autonomous vehicles are driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and sensor technologies, which are enabling safer and more dependable autonomous driving systems while accelerating commercial development and deployment. These investments continue to drive demand for neural network processor intellectual property, as automotive chip developers require advanced artificial intelligence processing architectures to support real-time perception, sensor fusion, and autonomous driving functions. For instance, in May 2024, according to the UK government, a UK-based government department, British autonomous driving company Wayve secured more than $1.05 billion in investment to develop the next generation of artificial intelligence-powered self-driving vehicles, representing the largest investment ever raised by a UK artificial intelligence company at that time. Therefore, the increasing investments in autonomous vehicles are driving the growth of the neural network processor (NPU) intellectual property (IP) market.

Major companies operating in the neural network processor (NPU) intellectual property (IP) market are concentrating on developing advanced solutions, such as edge AI neural processing unit (NPU) intellectual property (IP), to enhance artificial intelligence inference performance, improve power efficiency, and accelerate the deployment of intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Edge AI NPU IP refers to licensable hardware accelerator designs that allow semiconductor manufacturers to incorporate high-performance AI inference capabilities into system-on-chip (SoC) designs for edge computing applications. For instance, in April 2024, Arm Ltd., a UK-based semiconductor intellectual property company, launched the Ethos-U85 NPU and the Corstone-320 IoT Reference Design Platform. The Ethos-U85 provides up to four times greater AI performance and enhanced power efficiency compared with its predecessor while supporting transformer and convolutional neural network workloads. Integrated with the Corstone-320 platform, it supports faster development of edge AI systems for vision, voice, and industrial IoT applications through optimized hardware, software, and virtual development tools.

In June 2026, GlobalFoundries, a US-based provider of semiconductor manufacturing, custom silicon solutions, and foundry services, acquired Synopsys’ Processor IP Solutions business for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, GlobalFoundries aimed to strengthen its physical AI portfolio by expanding its processor intellectual property capabilities, including RISC-V processors, digital signal processor IP, neural network processor (NPU) IP, and software development tools, thereby supporting faster custom silicon development for AI, robotics, automotive, and industrial applications. Synopsys is a US-based company that develops configurable neural processing unit (NPU) IP, enabling semiconductor companies to incorporate AI acceleration into custom SoCs.

Major companies operating in the neural network processor (NPU) intellectual property (IP) market are Synopsys Inc., Arm Holdings plc, Cadence Design Systems Inc., Tenstorrent Inc., VeriSilicon Holdings Co. Ltd., CEVA Inc., Imagination Technologies Group plc, SiFive Inc., Arteris Inc., Andes Technology Corporation, Chips&Media Inc., Expedera Inc., BrainChip Holdings Ltd., Quadric Inc., SiliconArts Inc., Semidynamics Technology Services S.L., Akeana Inc., InCore Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd., Ainekko Inc.

Asia-Pacific was the dominant region in the neural network processor (NPU) intellectual property (IP) market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the rapidly growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the neural network processor (NPU) intellectual property (IP) market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.

The countries covered in the neural network processor (NPU) intellectual property (IP) market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

This product will be delivered within 3-5 business days.