SEOUL — Samsung Electronics said Thursday it plans to invest more than 110 trillion won ($73.3 billion) this year in research, development, and manufacturing facilities for artificial intelligence semiconductors, as it looks to strengthen its leadership in the highly competitive chip industry.
The world’s largest memory chip maker disclosed the plan in a regulatory filing, saying it aims to secure a dominant position amid surging demand driven by the global AI boom.
The investment represents a 21.7% increase from last year’s 90.4 trillion won and marks the largest annual spending in the company’s history. It is also the first time Samsung’s yearly investment has exceeded 100 trillion won.
Samsung said it will also pursue strategic mergers and acquisitions in areas including robotics, medical technology, automotive electronics, and air conditioning solutions.
To support growing chip demand, the company is currently undertaking efficiency upgrades at its P4 plant at the Pyeongtaek campus, south of Seoul, while moving forward with equipment installation for its planned P5 production line.
The company is also building new manufacturing facilities as part of its semiconductor cluster in Yongin, also located south of Seoul.
In the United States, Samsung is constructing a new foundry in Taylor, Texas, with plans to begin operations by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, unionized workers at Samsung Electronics said they plan to hold a press conference next week after voting to launch a general strike over performance-based bonuses.
The union said it will hold the event Monday near the residence of Chairman Lee Jae-yong in Seoul, where it plans to demand the removal of caps on bonuses, a 7% wage increase, and greater transparency in how performance-based incentives are calculated.
“The wage negotiations for 2026, which have run for months, have ended without an agreement,” the union said. “As management did not accept our reasonable requests to improve policies, we have decided to launch collective action.”
Workers also plan to stage a demonstration in Pyeongtaek on April 23 ahead of a planned strike scheduled from May 21 to June 7. (Source: IANS)
