Samsung Electronics' R&D investment in the first quarter hit 5.36 trillion won, an all-time quarterly high. The previous record was 5.32 trillion won set in the fourth quarter of 2018. Samsung Electronics said in its quarterly report released on May 4 that its R&D expenses in the first quarter represented 9.7 percent of sales. Samsung Electronics' quarterly R&D expenditures had remained in the 4 trillion won range for six quarters in a row since the second quarter of 2017, and rose to 5.32 trillion won in the fourth quarter of 2018, 5.4 trillion won in the first quarter of 2019, and 5.09 trillion won in the second quarter, 5.16 trillion won in the third quarter and 4.82 trillion won in the fourth quarter. Its earnings are projected to fall from the second quarter, weighed down by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, but its R&D investment is expected to exceed 20 trillion won this year.
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