Driven by surging demand for AI, Samsung's Q2 operating profit is expected to jump 18 times.
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Samsung Electronics' operating profit this year is expected to exceed the cumulative total of the past 40 years, and the second quarter may set a new record for the highest operating profit in the history of global technology companies.
According to Mars Finance, on July 6th, Kim Yong-kwan, head of the semiconductor business's operational strategy at Samsung Electronics, released optimistic signals at a departmental meeting on July 3rd, stating that this year's operating profit will meet market expectations, and adding that "the cumulative profit over the past 40 years of the semiconductor business is less than this year's profit alone." The market currently expects Samsung Electronics' full-year operating profit for 2026 to be approximately 300 trillion won, with a consensus expectation of 84.6 trillion won for the second quarter—if realized, this would surpass Nvidia's record of $53.536 billion in the first quarter of this year, setting a new record for the highest single-quarter operating profit for a global technology company. Kim Yong-kwan also emphasized that the company continues to invest over 40 trillion won in capital expenditure annually and plans to further expand its investment scale to cope with the continued expansion of demand for AI semiconductors. The combined performance of South Korea's two semiconductor giants is equally remarkable. SK Hynix's second-quarter operating profit is expected to be around 64.4 trillion won, bringing the combined total for both companies to approximately 149 trillion won, approaching 150 trillion won. However, some market analysts point out that the storage sector's stock prices have recently shown signs of peaking and declining. Whether they can rise further depends on whether the earnings significantly exceed expectations. The size and duration of long-term supply contracts and the price trend of storage in the second half of the year will be key variables to watch. Furthermore, SK Hynix's ADRs will be listed on July 10th. HSBC has raised its target price from 2.9 million won to 4 million won, believing that the ADR listing will improve accessibility for global investors and could bring a valuation premium of approximately 20%. JPMorgan Chase points out that the second-quarter earnings season will be a watershed moment for reassessing the storage cycle.
Samsung's performance will be a key test for the AI chip market; Q2 operating profit is expected to surge 18 times.
Samsung Electronics, the memory chip maker, is set to release its second-quarter results on Odaily. Analysts predict preliminary operating profit of 84.3 trillion won (approximately $55.1 billion), an 18-fold increase year-over-year and exceeding its full-year profit for 2025. Revenue is expected to grow by 127% to a record 169 trillion won. Since June, chip stocks have experienced several significant corrections due to market concerns about intensified competition, potential overcapacity, and the return on massive AI investments. This further amplifies the importance of Samsung's results, leaving very little room for disappointment given already high market expectations. Roundhill Financial CEO Dave Mazza stated, "Samsung's results come at a time when the market is simultaneously questioning the supply and demand sides of the investment logic in memory chips. If the results are close to market expectations, it will help quell the controversy and benefit Samsung." (Jinshi)
Samsung will release its preliminary Q2 financial results tomorrow: profits are expected to surge 18 times, with executives boasting that "one year's profits are equivalent to 40 years' worth."
According to BlockBeats, Samsung Electronics will release its preliminary Q2 2026 results on July 7th, while SK Hynix will list its ADRs on Nasdaq on July 10th. With these two major events for South Korea's semiconductor giants, the market is highly focused on the industry's health and the impact of AI chip demand on earnings. According to a compilation of forecasts from 30 analysts by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), Samsung Electronics' Q2 operating profit is expected to be approximately 86 trillion won (about US$56.3 billion), with some brokerages predicting as high as 90 trillion won, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 17-18 times, potentially marking its best quarterly performance in recent years. Prior to the preliminary earnings release, Samsung Electronics management has already released positive signals. Kim Yong-kwan, President of Business Strategy for Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (DS) division, stated at an internal all-hands meeting on July 3rd that the company's full-year 2026 operating profit is expected to meet market consensus expectations. Currently, the market generally expects Samsung Electronics' full-year operating profit to be approximately 300 trillion won (about US$200 billion), with improvements in AI servers, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), and wafer foundry business considered the main drivers of growth. Kim Yong-kwan also stated, "This year's profit will exceed the total cumulative profit of our 40 years in the semiconductor business." Industry insiders believe this is a rare instance of Samsung Electronics management proactively making a positive statement about the full-year profit outlook before officially disclosing the results, reflecting the company's strong confidence in the recovery of its AI-driven semiconductor business and its overall performance growth for the year. With the release of Samsung's financial report and the upcoming listing of SK Hynix's ADRs, the South Korean semiconductor sector will be entering its most important market observation window in the near future.
Optical Technology: Net profit is expected to increase by 170%-190% year-on-year in the first half of the year, driven by continued growth in market demand for high-speed optical modules and optical devices.
According to Mars Finance, Guangku Technology (300620.SZ) announced that it expects its net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company for the first half of 2026 to be between RMB 140 million and RMB 150 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 170%-190%. During the reporting period, benefiting from accelerated global investment in AI computing infrastructure and data center construction, the market demand for high-speed optical modules and optical devices continued to grow. At the same time, the company adhered to technological innovation, continuously launched new products, and actively expanded its domestic and international customer base, resulting in steady revenue growth. The significant year-on-year increase in net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was mainly due to the effective boost to profits from increased revenue. Furthermore, with the expansion of production and sales scale, economies of scale became apparent, and the company continued to promote cost reduction and efficiency improvement, comprehensively enhancing its overall profitability. Note: The company's Q2 net profit is expected to be between RMB 95 million and RMB 106 million, and Q1 net profit was RMB 45 million. Based on this, Q2 net profit is expected to increase by 113%-136% quarter-on-quarter. (Cailian Press)
Samsung expects its Q2 operating profit to reach 89.4 trillion won, a staggering 1810% year-on-year increase.
According to an official announcement from Samsung Electronics, the company has released its performance guidance for the second quarter of 2026. Based on Korean International Financial Reporting Standards (K-IFRS), Samsung Electronics expects consolidated sales of approximately 171 trillion won (estimated range: 170 trillion to 172 trillion won) and consolidated operating profit of approximately 89.4 trillion won (estimated range: 89.3 trillion to 89.5 trillion won). Data shows a significant leap in Samsung Electronics' performance compared to the same period last year. In comparison, its consolidated sales in the second quarter of 2025 were 74.57 trillion won, and its operating profit was 4.68 trillion won; in the previous quarter (first quarter of 2026), its sales were 133.87 trillion won, and its operating profit was 57.23 trillion won. This strong performance is mainly attributed to the continued surge in demand and price increases for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and other advanced memory chips driven by the ongoing artificial intelligence boom. Samsung Electronics is reportedly set to release a detailed full financial report later this month.
Samsung released its Q2 earnings forecast: operating profit increased by over 1800% year-on-year, with single-quarter profit exceeding the total of the previous three years.
BlockBeats reported on July 7th that global semiconductor giant Samsung Electronics released extremely strong preliminary financial results for the second quarter. Data shows that, driven by the powerful wave of artificial intelligence (AI), the world's largest memory chip manufacturer is experiencing its most prosperous profit cycle in history. According to the financial report, Samsung's operating profit in the second quarter surged 1810.2% year-on-year, reaching 89.4 trillion won (approximately US$58 billion). This figure not only far exceeded the market's previous expectation of 84.2 trillion won, but also remarkably surpassed the company's total profit for the three years from 2023 to 2025. At the same time, the company's revenue also increased by 129% year-on-year, reaching 171 trillion won. Following Samsung Electronics' earnings forecast, SanDisk (SNDK.O) and Micron Technology (MU.O) saw their US-listed shares decline in after-hours trading. Samsung's explosive performance directly benefits from the near-"thirsty" orders for high-performance memory chips from AI data centers. Industry giants like Nvidia and OpenAI have repeatedly stated publicly that the shortage of memory chips has become a core bottleneck for current AI development. Because major manufacturers prioritize the production capacity of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is designed specifically for AI and offers higher profits, this has conversely squeezed the conventional memory space needed for smartphones, PCs, and enterprise servers. This "capacity squeeze" effect has led to a severe shortage in the global memory market. HSBC data shows that in the second quarter of 2026, the average selling price of DRAM increased by more than 40% compared to the previous quarter, and NAND prices increased by more than 50%; Citi Research gives even higher estimates, at 44% and 53% respectively. Analysts generally believe that this "seller's market" will continue at least until 2027, giving Samsung and its long-time rivals SK Hynix and Micron Technology extremely strong pricing power.