Samsung Electronics is preparing to deliver the largest shareholder payout in its history, with plans to return between 90 trillion and 110 trillion won, roughly $65 billion to $79 billion, to investors in 2026. The windfall is powered by the same force reshaping every corner of the tech industry: artificial intelligence.
The world’s largest memory chip manufacturer has been riding a wave of unprecedented demand for AI-related semiconductors, particularly high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. Those profits are now flowing directly back to the people who own the company.
How the numbers break down
Samsung’s shareholder return framework operates under a policy covering 2024 through 2026, which mandates that 50% of the company’s free cash flow gets allocated to investors. The company maintains a fixed annual dividend of 9.8 trillion won, paid out on a regular schedule regardless of performance.
For context on how dramatically the payout has grown: during 2024 and 2025 combined, Samsung distributed 20.9 trillion won through dividends and buybacks. The 2026 figure alone could represent roughly four to five times that two-year total, depending on where the final number lands within the 90-110 trillion won range.
