SEOUL - Samsung Electronics Co. spent nearly 90 trillion won (US$59.2 billion) on capital expenditures and research and development (R&D) in 2025, making it the biggest investor among the world's top 10 semiconductor companies, industry data showed Wednesday.
The South Korean tech giant invested 89.9 trillion won, comprised of 52.2 trillion won in capital expenditures and 37.7 trillion won, in R&D last year, according to data compiled by corporate tracker CEO Score.
Samsung's investment far exceeded that of second-ranked Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC, which spent 69.4 trillion won.
Despite a sharp decline in earnings in 2023 due to a downturn in the chip industry, Samsung Electronics continued to increase investment.
Its operating profit fell 84.9 percent on-year to 6.57 trillion won in 2023, but the company invested 88.9 trillion won that year, more than 13 times its operating profit.
Industry observers say Samsung's aggressive spending during the semiconductor downturn helped lay the groundwork for the industry upcycle that began gaining momentum last year.
"Given the nature of the semiconductor industry, which requires continuous investment on an enormous scale, recent debates over distributing tens of trillions of won in bonuses and retained earnings during the current boom cycle could place a significant burden on companies," CEO Score said.
This file image, provided by Samsung Electronics Co. on May 29, 2026, shows samples of its latest high bandwidth memory (HBM) chip, the 12-layer HBM4E. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
