Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday estimated its second-quarter operating profit at nearly 90 trillion won (US$58.8 billion), marking another quarterly record as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-related semiconductors boosted earnings. The South Korean technology giant reported that operating profit for the April-June period is expected to total 89.4 trillion won, reflecting a significant increase of 1,181 percent from the same period last year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the estimate surpassed the average market forecast by 6.2 percent, as reported by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data arm of Yonhap News Agency. The earnings outlook includes provisions for employee bonuses, but excluding these provisions, the quarterly operating profit is estimated to have reached around 100 trillion won.
Under a high-profile wage agreement reached in May, Samsung will grant a special semiconductor performance bonus equivalent to 10.5 percent of business performance earnings. These bonuses will be paid in company stock over at least 10 years and will be linked to performance targets for the company's lucrative semiconductor business.
Samsung Electronics recorded an operating profit of 43.6 trillion won for the entire year of 2025. The estimated second-quarter profit alone is more than double the company's full-year operating profit from the previous year. Second-quarter revenue is estimated to have risen 129.3 percent from a year earlier to 171 trillion won. Net profit details were not included in the earnings guidance.
If confirmed, Samsung Electronics will have achieved record quarterly revenue and operating profit for a third consecutive quarter since the fourth quarter of last year. Although Samsung did not provide a detailed breakdown of earnings by business division, its device solutions unit, which includes the semiconductor segment, is believed to have accounted for a dominant share.
The strong performance is largely attributed to continued growth in global investment in AI infrastructure, which has intensified the supply shortage of semiconductors and kept memory chip prices elevated. Industry observers expect the favorable market conditions to persist at least through next year.
Samsung Electronics has been among the biggest beneficiaries of the AI supercycle, supported by the world's largest memory chip production capacity. The company has also expanded sales of higher-value products by becoming the first in the industry to begin mass production and shipments of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) chips.
In contrast, the device experience unit, which oversees Samsung's consumer electronics and mobile businesses, is expected to have posted relatively weak results. The company will release its final earnings report later this month.