Samsung no longer EU's biggest R&D spender, dethroned by Alphabet

Samsung Electronics was no longer Europe‘s top R&D spender in 2018. It held the top spot in 2017 but lost the crown to Alphabet – Google's parent company – according to a recent report from Yonhap News Agency citing the European Union Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard.

Samsung didn't spend any less than it did in 2017

Despite Samsung losing its top spot as the biggest R&D spender in the EU, the company spent 10% more on R&D in 2018 than it did a year before. Samsung isn't slowing down its spendings, and it poured a total of 14.8 billion EUR into R&D throughout the year. However, Alphabet spent 18.3 billion EUR, representing a 37% increase from a year earlier.

Samsung spent more money on research & development than numerous other corporations including Volkswagen, Apple, Huawei, Microsoft, and Intel. The list of top 50 R&D spenders contained a total of 22 companies based in the United States.

As reported not long ago, Samsung Electronics has remained South Korea's biggest R&D spender in 2018 and has continued to pour money into research and development throughout 2019 as well. In June, the company was reported to have 132,478 patents under its belt, 20% of which were registered in Europe.

Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.

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