Samsung Electronics has significantly increased its information technology (IT) investment to over 11 trillion won as it accelerates its transition to artificial intelligence (AI). Despite the growing need for enhanced internal security due to the adoption of external generative AI, the proportion of investment in information security has dropped to its lowest level ever.
According to a report from the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) on July 1, Samsung's IT investment last year reached 11.3898 trillion won, a 71% increase from the previous year’s 6.6598 trillion won.
Samsung's IT investments have shown a steady increase over the years, with figures of 3.2301 trillion won in 2021, 4.3842 trillion won in 2022, and 6.0992 trillion won in 2023, before experiencing a sharp rise last year.
This surge is attributed to the recent implementation of external generative AI services within the company. Samsung has introduced services like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude for employees to utilize in their work, starting this month in the DX (Digital Transformation) division.
The increase in overall investment is also linked to rising costs for IT outsourcing and system development as the company enhances its infrastructure to support the diverse applications of generative AI, including research and development, administrative tasks, software development, and document creation. A Samsung representative explained that the spike in IT investment is aimed at building and upgrading internal work systems.
Investment in information security also saw an increase, reaching 412.12905 billion won last year, up 18.5% from 347.79897 billion won the previous year, marking the first time it surpassed 400 billion won. Samsung's information security investments have grown from 171.7 billion won in 2021 to 243.4 billion won in 2022, 297.4 billion won in 2023, and 347.8 billion won in 2024.
However, the proportion of information security investment relative to total IT investment fell to 3.6%, the lowest since reporting became mandatory. The annual proportions were 5.3% in 2021, 5.6% in 2022, 4.9% in 2023, and 5.2% in 2024, but last year marked the first decline into the 3% range.
While investments in generative AI and software infrastructure have surged, the growth in security investment has not kept pace with the overall expansion of IT investment.
As the use of external AI increases, new security threats such as data breaches, access management, personal data protection, and misuse of AI models are on the rise, highlighting the need for greater investment in security measures.
An industry expert noted, "The introduction of generative AI significantly enhances productivity, but it requires a robust security framework that differs from existing IT systems. As the scope of AI usage expands, information security investment should be viewed as a key component of securing the company's competitive edge."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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