Monitoring the Development Trend and Competition Status of High Technologies Using Patent Analysis and Bibliographic Coupling: the Case of Electronic Design Automation Technology

High technologies play an important role in social progress and economic growth. Monitoring the development trend and competition status of high technology is crucial for policymakers, managers, and developers. This study proposes a framework that integrating the analysis of technological evolutionary trends and competitive status, the results of which will be helpful for engineers and developers for technology scouting and forecasting, but also for policymakers and managers for research and development (R&D) strategy. The electronic design automation (EDA) technology is selected as a case study. The patent analysis and bibliographic coupling are used to analyze the overview and identify the critical technical areas of EDA technology. This research also identifies the competition status of the main competitors in the EDA field from three aspects, including the market and technology fields, R&D capability, and comprehensive evaluation of patents. Our results show that the United States has an absolute advantage in the competition status of EDA technology. This study contributes to monitoring the development situation and competition status of high technologies, and will be of interest to policymakers and engineers