Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven megadeals will dominate the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market this year as companies race to secure technologies critical to the emerging AI value chain, according to a report released Monday by Samil PwC. Global M&A deal value surged 36 percent in 2025 to $3.52 trillion. Mega-transactions worth more than $5 billion were a major driver of the surge, climbing 76 percent year-on-year to 111 transactions, Korea’s largest accounting firm by revenue said in its report, titled “M&A Industry Trends: 2026 Outlook.” The growing influence of AI is reshaping deal-making: roughly one-third of the global top 100 largest announced M&A transactions last year cited AI as a key factor in strategic decision-making. In Korea, deal activity did not match the global rebound but still showed growth. The total value of domestic M&A transactions rose 25 percent year-on-year to 110.9 trillion won, buoyed by several large deals. Samil PwC identified the AI investment supercycle and K-shaped recovery as the defining themes for this year’s M&A market. AI has already be