Samsung Group is reportedly preparing a massive domestic investment plan worth 1,000 trillion won, or about $648 billion, over the next decade, as South Korea tries to turn the global artificial intelligence boom into a broader national growth strategy.
Samsung Group will pledge 1,000 trillion won, or $648 billion, in South Korea over the next 10 years, citing a media report on the planned announcement.
Samsung’s Reported Plan Covers Chips, AI Data Centers and Batteries
The proposed spending would target industries that are becoming central to the AI economy.
Reuters reported that Samsung’s investment will include AI data centers, batteries and displays, along with a possible 300 trillion won push to build chip factories in the country’s southwest.
The scale of the reported plan shows how closely AI growth is now tied to physical infrastructure. AI systems need chips, memory, data centers, batteries, power supply and supporting industrial facilities. For South Korea, Samsung’s reported investment could help convert chip demand into new factories, new regional projects and long-term technology capacity.
The initiative is a sweeping effort to turn a global AI-driven chip boom into a nationwide growth engine.
MSN reported move as a decade-long South Korea tech push, emphasizing the size of the proposed $648 billion investment.
Samsung and SK Hynix Executives Expected to Meet President Lee
The plan is expected to involve both government and industry leaders. Top executives from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are set to attend a Monday meeting with President Lee Jae Myung and lay out investment plans targeting regions beyond Seoul.
Samsung and SK Hynix are both major beneficiaries of the AI chip boom. The two companies as firms that have reaped huge profits as AI drives relentless demand for chips.
However, neither company has publicly confirmed the reported investment plan. Samsung and SK Hynix declined to comment.
South Korea Wants Tech Growth Beyond Seoul
A major purpose of the reported investment is to spread technology development outside the capital region. The concentration of chipmakers’ production facilities around Seoul has drawn political pressure and has been amplified by President Lee’s push for balanced regional development.
The economic imbalance is significant. Lee has promoted a plan to establish “five regional hubs and three special self-governing provinces” to counterbalance the Seoul area, which accounted for 52.8% of South Korea’s gross regional domestic product in 2024.
The presidential office is also preparing a broader announcement. The presidential office said it will unveil “three mega-projects” on Monday to drive a national leap forward, while policy adviser Kim Yong-beom said the plans will span semiconductors, AI data centers and robotics.
Labor and Infrastructure Could Challenge the Plan
The scale of the reported plan does not guarantee easy implementation. Infrastructure limits and labor shortages threaten to complicate efforts to redraw South Korea’s industrial map.
One expert warned that building a major chip hub in the southwest could face serious workforce challenges. Kim Tae-yun, a professor of administration at Hanyang University, as saying that securing skilled workers in the southwest will be “extremely difficult” and will determine whether the project succeeds or fails.
Kim also warned that the investment must produce advanced manufacturing, not just construction activity. Kim said that unless a “truly cutting-edge fab” is built, the local economic impact could be limited and risk becoming little more than a construction project and real estate boost.
Politics Surround the Semiconductor Push
The reported plan has also drawn political scrutiny. Opposition lawmakers accused the government of pressuring companies to invest in the ruling party’s southwestern stronghold ahead of the party’s leadership contest.
Lee won 49.42% of the national vote in the June 2025 presidential election but secured about 85% in Gwangju and neighboring South Jeolla.
Samsung’s reported $648 billion commitment shows how AI is reshaping national industrial planning. The AI boom is no longer only about software, models or apps. It is also about factories, chips, data centers, batteries, regional jobs and the political question of where the next generation of technology infrastructure should be built.
