Samsung Expects 86 Trillion Won Operating Profit in Second Quarter

Samsung Electronics is expected to report another record quarterly operating profit as surging demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure continues to tighten global memory chip supplies and push prices higher. Analysts estimate the South Korean technology giant’s operating profit could rise about 18-fold from a year earlier to 86 trillion won, or around $56.35 billion, for the April-to-June quarter.

The estimate, based on forecasts from 30 analysts, would represent a sharp increase from the 4.7 trillion won operating profit recorded a year earlier. If achieved, it would mark Samsung’s third consecutive quarter of record operating profit. The strong performance reflects a prolonged memory shortage as demand from AI inference infrastructure continues to grow faster than supply from global chip manufacturers.

The boom is being driven not only by high-bandwidth memory, which is widely used in advanced AI systems, but also by rising demand for conventional DRAM and NAND products. Analysts said the expansion of agentic AI is creating new computing requirements because such systems perform complex, multi-step tasks and need greater memory capacity for processors and more storage to retain and retrieve data during inference.

Also Read: #JUSTIN: 14 Arrested In Sri Ganganagar Case; Police Deny Viral Video

Samsung, the world’s largest memory chipmaker by sales, supplies major technology companies including Nvidia, Google and Apple. Citi Research estimated that average selling prices for DRAM and NAND rose 44 per cent and 53 per cent quarter-on-quarter, respectively, during the second quarter. Analysts expect the global memory market to remain undersupplied at least through next year as AI-related demand continues to accelerate.

The memory shortage has also driven a sharp rally in semiconductor stocks. Samsung Electronics shares have reportedly climbed 158 per cent this year, while SK Hynix and Micron have risen 273 per cent and 242 per cent, respectively. The surge has pushed the market valuations of all three companies above $1 trillion, highlighting investor expectations that the AI-driven demand cycle could remain strong for an extended period.

Despite the favourable market conditions, analysts warned that Samsung’s quarterly earnings could fall below expectations if the company records larger-than-anticipated provisions for employee bonuses. Samsung recently reached a wage agreement allocating 10.5 per cent of its semiconductor division’s operating profit to special bonuses for chip workers, with cumulative provisions potentially exceeding 40 trillion won. The company is expected to release its preliminary earnings estimate on Tuesday and detailed financial results later this month.

Also Read: Netanyahu Says Israel Enjoys Strong Indian Support, Pushes Back Against JD Vance's Comments