Samsung plans $41.1bn investment in 2012: Chips, OLED, more

Samsung sinking $1bn into its Apple chip facility is only the tip of the iceberg for the Korean company's 2012 investment plans, with a whopping $41.4bn expected to go into incubating new tech and streamlining existing production. Samsung Group will most likely pitch the biggest chunk of its fund into system chips for phones, tablets and digital cameras, Reuters reports, along with OLED displays such as the panel used in the 55-inch Super OLED Smart TV the company demonstrated at CES last week, and which is expected to go on sale by the end of the year.

The range of investments will span everything from building factories to R&D, as well as mergers & acquisitions and hiring new staff. Samsung expects to take on around 26,000 new team members in 2012, potentially bringing its global total to as many as 376,000.

80-percent of the investment will go through Samsung Electronics, particularly Samsung Semiconductor and Samsung Mobile Display. Analysts predict the company will boost processor spending by 1 trillion won over 2011, and OLED spending by 2 trillion won, with LEDs, LCDs and battery technology also sharing in a windfall.

"No other IT company can beat [Samsung] in terms of investment" NH Investment & Securities analyst Lee Sun-tae said of the company's R&D plans. Samsung has said it will unveil a Google TV set later in 2012, while the company has revealed plans to merge its bada smartphone OS with open-source Tizen, with the first handsets also expected to go on sale this year.