Samsung Cash Hits 214.8 Trillion Won as 2026 Capex Heads to 84.4T
Samsung ended September with an estimated 214.8 trillion won in cash, a Korean first, while 2026 capex is set at 84.4 trillion won, 76.8 trillion won of it for chips.
Chips & Power DeskEdited by Ege Erten
2 min readAI-assisted
Follows our story: Samsung Q3 Operating Profit Hits KRW 107.4T on Record Memory Sales
File image of Samsung's HBM4 memory from Samsung Semiconductor; it illustrates the company's chip business, not a specific figure in this story.
Image: Samsung Semiconductor
Source · Press image from the Samsung Semiconductor website, used for news reporting.
Samsung Electronics held an estimated 214.8 trillion won ($146.6 billion) in cash at the end of September, up 24.8 trillion won from the prior quarter and the first Korean company above 200 trillion won, according to industry data reported on Nov. 8.
Samsung's cash reached an estimated 214.8 trillion won at end-Q3 2026, against 108.5 trillion won a year earlier (reported, industry data).
Illustration (AI-generated)
The Korea Times, citing Yonhap, said the figure was 190 trillion won at the end of June and 108.5 trillion won a year earlier. Total assets reached 791.8 trillion won, up 32.4 trillion won in three months. The Korea JoongAng Daily added that the cash total counts cash, cash equivalents and short-term financial products, and that net cash after borrowings was 197.6 trillion won, just short of 200 trillion won.
For the memory and foundry supply chain, the spending plan matters more than the balance. On its Oct. 29 earnings call, Samsung said third-quarter capital expenditure was 29 trillion won, of which 27.2 trillion won went to the chip-focused Device Solutions division. Nine-month capex totaled 56.9 trillion won, and the company expects 84.4 trillion won for 2026, a 31.7 trillion won rise on last year.
Where the 84.4 trillion won goes
Samsung said Device Solutions capex will rise by 29.3 trillion won to 76.8 trillion won, with memory spending going to new fabs and other infrastructure. Foundry capex is also set to rise, mainly for the Taylor, Texas fab. Display capex is projected at 3.9 trillion won. By Voltgrid's arithmetic, 84.4 trillion won less the 56.9 trillion won already spent leaves about 27.5 trillion won for the fourth quarter, slightly below the third quarter's 29 trillion won.
The cash pile is about 2.5 times the full-year capex plan. The Korea JoongAng Daily reported that research and development spending reached 41.7 trillion won in the first nine months, already above the 37.7 trillion won record for all of 2025, and that capex plus R&D is expected to pass 130 trillion won this year.
Shareholder returns and what is not confirmed
Samsung has said 90 trillion to 110 trillion won will be available for shareholder returns in 2026. It paid a 30 trillion won cash dividend in the third quarter, bringing 2026 dividends to 35 trillion won, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported. That leaves 55 trillion to 75 trillion won of the range undistributed.
The 214.8 trillion won figure comes from industry data and press reports; Voltgrid did not see it in a filing. The size and form of the remaining 2026 payouts, and the 2027 policy, are not set. Samsung's board is due to decide both at a meeting in late January 2027.
The company has told investors the AI-driven memory supply squeeze should last through next year. As Voltgrid reported, Samsung also said its planned 2027 HBM supply is sold out. The cash follows a record quarter: its KRW 107.4 trillion operating profit was reported on Oct. 29.
