Samsung Commits $648 Billion to AI Chips Over the Next Decade

Samsung Group formally announced a 1,000 trillion won (approximately $648 billion) ten-year investment plan at a South Korean government briefing chaired by President Lee Jae Myung on June 28, 2026. Described as the largest corporate investment commitment in South Korean history, the package spans AI infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing, displays, and batteries across multiple regions of the country.

AI Infrastructure at the Core

More than 350 trillion won — over a third of the total — is earmarked for AI data centers and the advanced chips that power them. Samsung Electronics is expanding its semiconductor footprint nationally: roughly 60 trillion won goes to its established Yongin facility, with additional plants planned for the Chungcheong, Yeongnam, and Incheon regions. Approximately 300 trillion won may fund new chip fabrication sites in South Korea’s southwest, though the timeline for those projects was not confirmed at the briefing.

Broader Group Commitments

The package also covers Samsung Display (100 trillion won for display production), Samsung SDI’s battery expansion at its Cheonan plant, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ Sejong facility producing high-value substrates for AI semiconductors. The breadth of the commitment reflects the group’s view that AI-driven demand now runs through its entire portfolio — from memory and logic chips to the batteries and screens in AI-capable devices.

South Korea’s National Mega Projects

The announcement came under South Korea’s “National Mega Projects” initiative, which pairs corporate investment pledges with government tax incentives and infrastructure support. Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong met with President Lee Jae Myung on June 25, one day before the formal briefing, to coordinate the plan’s scope. SK Hynix executives presented complementary investment targets at the same event.

The plan positions South Korea in direct competition with chip-production initiatives in the United States, Taiwan, and Japan, as governments worldwide race to secure domestic semiconductor supply chains.