Seoul, July 30: Samsung Electronics announced a staggering 1,300% increase in profit for the second quarter of 2026 compared to the previous year. This remarkable growth is attributed to the rising demand for semiconductors used in artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
In a press release, the company revealed that its profit soared to 71.62 trillion won (approximately $49.6 billion) from 5.11 trillion won during the same period last year.
Operating income also saw a significant rise, climbing 1,813.8% to reach 89.49 trillion won, while sales increased by 130% to 171.49 trillion won.
As the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer, Samsung has recorded its third consecutive quarter of record earnings and operational profit.
The company’s results aligned with market expectations. According to a survey by Yonhap Infomax, analysts had predicted a net profit of approximately 71.21 trillion won.
Earnings per share (EPS) for both common and preferred shares stood at 10,849 won, marking a 52% increase from the previous quarter and ranking among the highest in the global technology sector.
Samsung Electronics attributed its outstanding performance to effectively meeting the growing market demand, particularly for AI-related products, leveraging its technological advantage.
The company’s highly profitable semiconductor division reported record sales of 127.5 trillion won and an operating profit of 89.2 trillion won this quarter.
This robust performance was made possible by a continuous increase in global investments in AI infrastructure, which kept semiconductor supply limited and memory chip prices elevated.
Samsung expects strong semiconductor demand to persist in the second half of the year, supporting continued growth in the company’s overall income.
In its statement, the company noted, “We anticipate strong demand for memory business driven by server-centric needs in the second half of this year, influenced by ongoing capital expenditures on AI infrastructure and the widespread use of agentic AI.”
Industry experts believe favorable conditions in the global chip market will remain at least until next year.
During a conference call, the company stated, “Next year, the gap between demand and supply is expected to widen further compared to this year.”
In line with this, Samsung Electronics announced plans to actively optimize its product portfolio for both DRAM and NAND flash memory, considering market demand and changing customer needs.
The tech giant expects significant improvements in the profitability of its foundry unit in the second half of the year as it restructures its business to focus on high-growth areas.
In the second quarter, the company’s total capital expenditure reached 16.8 trillion won, an increase of 5.5 trillion won compared to the previous quarter.
Of this, 15.4 trillion won was invested in the chip division, while 700 billion won was allocated for the display business.
Leveraging its leading memory chip production capacity, Samsung Electronics has emerged as one of the companies benefiting the most from the AI boom.
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