Samsung's Cash Pile Tops 200 Trillion Won as AI Memory Boom Fills Its Coffers

The company held about 214.8 trillion won in cash assets at the end of the third quarter, the data show. That was 24.8 trillion won more than at the end of June and nearly double the level a year earlier. Total assets rose to 791.8 trillion won at the end of September. Samsung's cash measure includes short-term financial instruments as well as cash and cash equivalents. Net cash, after borrowings, was 197.6 trillion won.

The cash comes from the most profitable quarter in the company's history. Samsung reported third-quarter revenue of 195.3 trillion won and operating profit of 107.4 trillion won on October 29, with the semiconductor business accounting for 106.5 trillion won of that profit.

The cash covers Samsung's planned shareholder returns of 90 trillion to 110 trillion won for 2026, as well as heavy investment in chip plants. Reports differ on how big that investment is. The industry data put this year's spending on manufacturing infrastructure and research at more than 100 trillion won, including 84.4 trillion won to expand memory production. Coverage of the third-quarter results instead described about 84.4 trillion won as total 2026 capital expenditure, of which 76.8 trillion won is for semiconductors.

Samsung expects the chip upcycle to continue into next year, driven by AI investment and tight memory supply, and has said demand should substantially exceed supply in 2027. It plans to set out its shareholder return policy for next year at a board meeting in January.