Data released on June 10 by corporate tracker CEO Score showed Samsung Electronics spent 89.9 trillion won (US$59.2 billion), on capital expenditures and research and development in 2025.

That was the highest combined total among the world’s top 10 semiconductor companies.

The total included 52.2 trillion won (US$34.5 billion) in capital expenditures and 37.7 trillion won (US$24.9 billion) in research and development.

Samsung’s spending was higher than Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC’s 69.4 trillion won (US$45.8 billion).

Samsung kept increasing investment after its 2023 operating profit fell 84.9% year on year to 6.6 trillion won (US$4.34 billion) during the chip downturn.

In 2023, the South Korean company invested 88.9 trillion won (US$58.7 billion), more than 13x its operating profit.

CEO Score said Samsung’s spending during the downturn helped lay the groundwork for the semiconductor industry upcycle that began gaining momentum last year.

🔗 Source: Yonhap

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