Samsung Electronics announced a strategy to invest more than 110 trillion won this year to leap forward as a leading artificial intelligence (AI) corporations.
Samsung Electronics disclosed on the 19th its "2026 plan to enhance corporate value," which includes executing more than 110 trillion won in total for facility investment and research and development (R&D). This is the first time Samsung Electronics' annual investment has exceeded 100 trillion won.
Samsung Electronics also executed a total of 90.4 trillion won last year, including 37.7 trillion won for R&D and 52.7 trillion won for facilities, setting a "record-high investment." This year, it aims to increase the investment by 21.7% from that to secure future competitiveness.
The investment is expected to be concentrated in the DS (semiconductor) institutional sector. Samsung Electronics cited as goals of this investment: ▲ securing "AI Semiconductor era leadership" as the world's only semiconductor company capable of a "one-stop solution" that includes memory, foundry (contract semiconductor manufacturing), and advanced packaging ▲ securing a firm position in the high-value memory market, including high bandwidth memory (HBM) ▲ maintaining a continued super-gap in semiconductor businesses ▲ leaping forward as a leading AI corporations ▲ strengthening new growth portfolio businesses ▲ continuously enhancing shareholder value.
A Samsung Electronics representative said, "We will secure the best product competitiveness by improving investment efficiency," and added, "Based on AI-driven innovation, we will reorganize the business into future-oriented structures such as AI and advanced robots to establish mid- to long-term growth momentum."
As one of the plans for executing the investment, Samsung Electronics listed "pursuing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of meaningful scale." The aim is to strengthen competitiveness in future growth areas such as advanced robots, medical technology (MedTech), automotive electronics (electric and electronic components), and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC).
Jun Young-hyun, vice chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics and head of the DS division, said at the shareholders meeting held the previous day, "The DS division is the world's only semiconductor company capable of a 'one-stop solution' from logic to memory, foundry (contract manufacturing), and packaging," and noted, "We will build technological competitiveness to secure leadership in the AI Semiconductor market." Samsung Electronics is working to streamline the construction schedule of P4 (Plant 4) at the Pyeongtaek campus, the industry's largest semiconductor production base. It is also pushing core facility construction for the establishment of P5 (Plant 5).
Alongside this, it is building semiconductor production plants in the Yongin cluster, and is constructing a foundry plant in Taylor, Texas, in the United States with cutting-edge processes at 3-nanometer (nm; 1 nm = one-billionth of a meter) or below, aiming to begin operations at the end of this year.
Samsung Electronics also announced a plan to provide additional returns if residual funds arise even after excluding amounts already returned to shareholders and this year's regular dividends (9.8 trillion won) from 50% of free cash flow (FCF) for 2024–2026.