Samsung Electronics spends record $19 bil. on R&D in H1

This file photo, taken July 30, shows Samsung Electronics's building in southern Seoul. Yonhap

Samsung Electronics spent a record 27.3 trillion won ($19 billion) on research and development activities in the first half of 2026, its regulatory filing showed Friday.

The South Korean tech giant's R&D spending for the January-June period marks a 51.5 percent rise from the previous year's 18.06 trillion won, setting a record high for the six-month period.

Samsung Electronics also spent 28 trillion won on facility investment in the first half, setting a fresh high for the period and rising nearly 5 trillion won from a year earlier.

The company noted the investment was allocated to establish infrastructure critical for long-term growth in the semiconductor and display segments.

The regulatory filing also showed Jun Young-hyun, head of Samsung's device solutions division, received 2.39 billion won in compensation in the first half, while Roh Tae-moon, co-chief executive officer in charge of the mobile business, received 7.4 billion won.