Thales has been recognized among the world’s top 100 most innovative companies in the 2025 Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovators ranking. This places Thales in the top 0.01% of more than one million organizations evaluated worldwide. The ranking assesses the quality and quantity of patents filed, with Thales being the longest-standing French company on the list.
Thales holds over 21,000 patents and patent applications, protecting around 400 new inventions annually. Half of these innovations relate to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, and quantum technology. The company is the leading European patent applicant for AI in critical systems, with a portfolio of over 300 inventions. In quantum technology, Thales leads European patent applications in quantum sensing and quantum communication, with more than 70 protected inventions.
Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales, stated, “This 12th recognition primarily rewards our 4,000 inventors, each of whom has at least one patent to their name. It is also a testament to Thales’s ambitious innovation strategy, built on collaboration and anticipation of technological breakthroughs. In a world where the pace of change is accelerating, the company continues to invest in strengthening its unique technological leadership.”
Thales invests €4.2 billion annually in research and development, with plans to increase this to €5 billion by 2028. The company’s 3,000 researchers and 30,000 engineers focus on technological advancements that drive competitiveness and support its transformation into a full learning organization.