SEOUL, South Korea / ConSynSer / – Samsung Electronics is set to become the first South Korean company to hold more than 200 trillion won ($146.6 billion) in cash assets, lifted by an AI-driven chip supercycle. Its cash and short-term financial assets are estimated at 214.8 trillion won as of the end of September, industry data showed on Sunday. The total rose 24.8 trillion won from about 190 trillion won three months earlier. It is also nearly double the 108.5 trillion won the company held a year before.
Total assets owned by the chipmaker reached 791.8 trillion won at the end of September, up 32.4 trillion won from the end of June. Net cash, which subtracts borrowings, rose by about 30 trillion won in the quarter to 197.6 trillion won, Seoul Economic Daily reported. Borrowings fell by 4.6 trillion won over the same period. The company’s debt ratio eased to 29% from 31%. The build-up reflects record earnings from its memory chip business.
Samsung posted record third-quarter results on October 29, with revenue of 195.3 trillion won and operating profit of 107.4 trillion won. The company said it was the first technology firm to top 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit. Its Device Solutions division, which houses the chip business, earned 106.5 trillion won. Chip demand also pushed South Korea’s exports to a record $115.3 billion in October.
Room for record payouts and investment
Market watchers estimate the cash pile is enough to fund shareholder returns of 90 trillion to 110 trillion won in 2026. Samsung set out that range under a shareholder return policy announced in August. About 35 trillion won had been paid out or confirmed through the third quarter, UPI reported. That leaves 55 trillion to 75 trillion won available for the rest of the year. Industry observers expect the company to use the upper end of the range.
The company is also on track for record investment of over 100 trillion won this year in chipmaking infrastructure and research and development. That includes 84.4 trillion won in facility spending, with expanded memory production a key focus. Yuanta Securities expects facility investment to rise 28% to 108 trillion won in 2027. Samsung also plans to begin operations at its first chip plant in Taylor, Texas, to expand its global foundry capacity.
Chip boom seen lasting into 2027
Samsung expects the semiconductor supercycle to continue through next year, supported by sustained AI investment and a tight memory supply. The company said its high-bandwidth memory output allocated for 2027 delivery has already sold out. It also expects demand for foundry processes at 8 nanometers and below to significantly exceed capacity next year. Samsung recently unveiled its AI memory strategy at the Open Compute Project summit.
Samsung plans to announce its shareholder policy for next year at a board meeting scheduled for January. The decision will show how the company balances payouts with its growing investment needs. The record cash position gives it room to fund both as it competes for AI chip orders. Its shares initially fell more than 4% after the third-quarter results, which fell short of some investors’ high expectations.