Digital technologies

Digital inventions are finding their way into every aspect of modern life, with advancements prompting rapid, even disruptive, change across many industries. These developments include computing and telecommunications, but extend far beyond these areas into healthcare, transport and agriculture.

What are digital technologies?

Digital technologies refer to technological advancements that transform industries, improve efficiency and generate new opportunities for businesses and society. Driving progress in automation, data processing, intelligent systems and connectivity, these developments are reshaping how people work, communicate and interact with technology. At their core, digital technologies utilise computing power, sophisticated algorithms and networked infrastructures to optimise processes and enable smarter decision-making. Across a range of industries, including healthcare, finance, manufacturing, transportation and telecommunications, digital technologies are bringing about transformation that enables large-scale real-time data analysis, optimises workflows and boosts productivity.

Key solutions underpinning this evolution include:

CII
 
computer-implemented inventions

Integrate software-driven processes with hardware systems to improve the precision and efficiency of automated operations

AI
 
artificial intelligence

Enhances automation, streamlines intelligent data processing and facilitates predictive analytics

QC
 
quantum computing

Promises markedly superior computational performance for problems difficult to solve by conventional methods, particularly in cryptography, optimisation and quantum simulation.


The ongoing evolution of these solutions is accelerating automation, intelligent decision-making and scientific research. Their integration strengthens business performance, enhances connectivity and drives innovation in tackling complex challenges. As digital transformation is adopted across an increasing number of industries, these solutions will assume an ever more crucial function in redefining operational strategies and technological progress.
 

Teaching computers to "see" through machine learning

Research led by computer scientist Cordelia Schmid has enabled AI to "see" and interpret complex visual data in real time. Her work is a step towards a future in which interactive robots and self-driving vehicles provide solutions for pressing problems. Cordelia Schmid won the European Inventor Award 2024 in the Research category.

​​Schmid’s career in computer vision has been marked by many pioneering contributions ​

Delve deeper

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Digital innovation

Drivers of digital technologies

Today, innovation is largely driven by computing. Patenting activity in this area focuses on computer-implemented inventions and the related areas of artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

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Digital innovation

Patentability of digital inventions

Patents protect technical solutions to real-world problems. The European Patent Convention offers a stable legal framework for securing patents on digital technologies.

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Digital innovation

Inventorship

Under patent law, only humans can be inventors.

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Digital innovation

AI use at the EPO

Using digital tools increases efficiency, but humans take the decisions and bear responsibility for them.

Resources

The EPO practice on examining patent applications, including those in the area of digital technologies, is set out in the Guidelines for Examination in the EPO, which are updated each year to reflect legal and technological developments, with input from the user community.

Guidelines for examination

The EPO's Observatory on Patents and Technology analyses patent data to map technology trends, support policy making and provide evidence-based insights for Europe's innovation ecosystem. It publishes a range of studies on topics relating to digital technologies.

Observatory on Patents and Technology
Mapping the global quantum ecosystem (study)

The new EPO Technology Dashboard provides statistics on patent applications to the EPO, as well as grants, in 2025. It offers insights into technology trends, rankings of applicants and countries, and the uptake of Unitary Patents.

EPO Technology Dashboard 2025 – Insight into computer technologies
Podcast on AI and energy – a balancing act for sustainability (21 April 2026)
Podcast on self-learning humanoids (26 March 2024)