Samsung Electronics' foundry business returned to profitability in June for the first time in three years.
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Citrini analyst Jukan: Samsung Foundry achieved monthly profitability in June, its first since 2023.
According to a post on the X platform by Citrini analyst Jukan, as reported by Odaily Korean media, Samsung Foundry achieved monthly profitability in June, its first such month since 2023. With this positive profit in June, Samsung internally believes the likelihood of a profit turnaround starting in the third quarter has increased. The use of Samsung's 4nm process for HBM4 base dies is considered a key factor driving this turnaround, while improved yield rates are also seen as a major factor supporting the positive monthly profit. Industry sources estimate that Samsung's 4nm process yield has improved to approximately 80%.
Samsung's foundry business is expected to secure orders from Meta and Anthropic, and is projected to return to profitability in the fourth quarter.
According to ChainCatcher, South Korean media reports that Samsung Electronics' foundry business is accelerating its expansion in the global AI chip market. Following its AI chip order from Tesla last year, Samsung is currently advancing its custom ASIC production collaboration with Meta and Anthropic. Meta is reportedly in talks with Samsung for a next-generation ASIC design and manufacturing contract worth over 10 trillion won. Meta's third-generation AI accelerator, "MTIA," plans to switch from TSMC to Samsung's most advanced 2nm process for mass production, with early chip architecture design handled jointly by Samsung's System LSI division to match its rapid development cycle of one generation every six months. Furthermore, US AI company Anthropic is also evaluating the use of Samsung's 2nm process to develop custom ASICs, aiming to internalize its AI infrastructure. Industry insiders point out that with the influx of AI chip orders from global tech giants, coupled with the ongoing negotiations with BYD for an automotive chip manufacturing agreement, Samsung's medium- to long-term order backlog for its wafer foundry business is expected to approach 50 trillion won, and it is expected to achieve a turnaround in operating profit in the fourth quarter of this year.
Mindray Electronics: Wafer foundry Guangxin Microelectronics raised prices by 10%-20% in June; Jingrui Electronics raised prices by approximately 15% in July.
According to Mars Finance, Mindray Electronics (300656.SZ) released an investor relations activity record announcement, stating that its controlling wafer foundry, Guangxin Microelectronics, will raise its foundry prices by 10-20% starting in June 2026. Guangxin Microelectronics' production capacity and orders are at full capacity. The planned capacity of its Phase I production plant is 100,000 6-inch silicon-based wafers per month. The company is strengthening its financial strength through introducing social capital, new bank financing, and launching a 1 billion yuan private placement. Equipment is gradually being installed and debugged, and the company will expedite the full production of the Phase I project and launch the Phase II project at an appropriate time. Jingrui Electronics, a wafer raw material company in which the company holds a stake, issued a price increase notice in June 2026, with a price increase of approximately 15%, effective July 1st. Jingrui Electronics has completed approximately 200 million yuan in equity financing this year and is building a new single crystal rod project, expected to be put into production by the end of this year or early next year. After production begins, it will become one of the few companies in China to achieve a complete silicon wafer industry chain layout. Jingrui Electronics is one of the few domestic semiconductor material companies that has achieved mass production of SOI products. Its downstream applications mainly cover MEMS sensors, aerospace radiation-hardened devices, and high-end power devices. The company's controlling stake in Guangwei Integrated Circuits, a power semiconductor design company, has seen continuous sales growth for its core product, MOSFETs (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Diodes), increasing from approximately 1,000 units per month in early 2025 to over 10,000 units per month currently, and is expected to continue growing. (Cailian Press)
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.
Chengbang Technology: First-half profit expected to reach 26 million yuan; semiconductor storage business revenue and net profit both saw significant year-on-year growth.
According to Mars Finance, Chengbang Co., Ltd. (603316.SH) announced that it expects its net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company for the first half of 2026 to be 26 million yuan, turning a loss into a profit year-on-year. The company's semiconductor storage business accounts for over 70% of its revenue and is its core business. During the reporting period, relying on the favorable global semiconductor storage market, the company's semiconductor storage business revenue and net profit increased significantly compared to the first half of 2025, showing improved profitability, but the absolute amount is still relatively small. Note: The company's Q2 net profit is estimated at 3 million yuan, and Q1 net profit at 23 million yuan. Based on this, Q2 net profit is expected to decrease by 89% quarter-on-quarter. (Cailian Press)
Rebellions, a South Korean AI chip startup backed by Samsung Electronics, plans to IPO in South Korea next year.
According to reports, Sunghyun Park, CEO of Rebellions, a South Korean AI chip startup backed by Samsung Electronics, stated that the company plans to IPO in South Korea in the first or second quarter of next year. Park said that Rebellions has already begun generating actual revenue, "and for this reason, we are working with the underwriting teams at JPMorgan Chase and Samsung Securities to prepare for the IPO." (Jiemian)