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Samsung Electronics has projected its operating profit surged 19-fold to a record in the second quarter as acute supply shortages continued to drive up memory chip prices amid booming demand fuelled by the AI race.
The world’s largest memory-chip maker by sales forecast operating profit of Won89.4tn ($58.4bn) for the April to June quarter on Tuesday, beating analysts’ expectations of Won87.3tn, according to LSEG SmartEstimate, and exceeding Samsung Electronics’ profit for all of 2025. Sales were estimated to more than double from a year earlier to Won171tn.
The guidance marked a third consecutive quarter of record operating profit for the South Korean company as memory-chip makers try to keep pace with demand from AI data centres. Analysts expect supply shortages to persist into next year.
Memory-chip makers have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the global build-out of AI infrastructure. Samsung Electronics’ shares have risen 165 per cent this year, lifting its market capitalisation above $1tn, although the stock has recently retreated amid concerns over returns on massive AI investment.
Samsung Electronics, alongside SK Hynix, is a leading supplier of high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI accelerators. Analysts expect broader adoption of AI agents, which can perform tasks autonomously, to sustain strong memory demand, while manufacturers’ focus on higher-margin HBM products has constrained supply of conventional memory chips used in consumer electronics.
