Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co. announced that it spent a record 37.7 trillion won (US$25.6 billion) on research and development in 2025, aiming to secure an early lead in the global race for next-generation artificial intelligence chips.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this expenditure marks a 7.8 percent increase from the previous year's 35 trillion won, as detailed in Samsung's annual business report. The investment is part of Samsung's strategy to proactively address the rising demand for AI semiconductors, including high bandwidth memory and high-capacity DDR5 chips.
In addition to its R and D spending, the company allocated 52.7 trillion won for facility investment last year, exceeding its previous plans by 5 trillion won. This capital was directed towards constructing future-generation semiconductor facilities, notably the NRD-K complex, a semiconductor R and D hub located at its Giheung campus in Yongin, south of Seoul.
Samsung Electronics also revealed plans to continue efforts to fulfill customer demand for sixth-generation HBM4 chips in 2026. The company recently shipped its first batch of mass-produced HBM4 chips, marking an industry milestone as the first to achieve this feat.