Paper Number
ICIS2025-1048
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
As digital technologies continue to redefine business models and industries, understanding how these changes occur is crucial. Convergence, i.e., distinct domains coming together, has been recognized as one central phenomenon important to digital innovation that is based on the inherent characteristics of digital technologies. However, we do not yet know how this phenomenon unfolds within different layers of digital innovation, conceptualized through the layered modular architecture. By analyzing over 3.7 million patent families from 2000 to 2018, we delve into the four layers of this architecture, namely device, network, service, and contents. Our findings show that (1) not all layers behave equally regarding technological convergence and (2) that digital innovation should be seen as a continuum. Our study provides valuable insights into the foundations of technological convergence in digital innovation and how it unfolds within the layers of the layered modular architecture.
Recommended Citation
Müller, Lukas; Drechsler, Katharina; Wagner, Heinz-Theo; and Beimborn, Daniel, "Digital Innovation and Technological Convergence: A Patent Data Analysis" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 1.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/diginnoventren/diginnoventren/1
Digital Innovation and Technological Convergence: A Patent Data Analysis
As digital technologies continue to redefine business models and industries, understanding how these changes occur is crucial. Convergence, i.e., distinct domains coming together, has been recognized as one central phenomenon important to digital innovation that is based on the inherent characteristics of digital technologies. However, we do not yet know how this phenomenon unfolds within different layers of digital innovation, conceptualized through the layered modular architecture. By analyzing over 3.7 million patent families from 2000 to 2018, we delve into the four layers of this architecture, namely device, network, service, and contents. Our findings show that (1) not all layers behave equally regarding technological convergence and (2) that digital innovation should be seen as a continuum. Our study provides valuable insights into the foundations of technological convergence in digital innovation and how it unfolds within the layers of the layered modular architecture.
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17-Innovation