Samsung Electronics has shattered global corporate history by posting an unprecedented preliminary operating profit of 89.4 trillion Korean won for the second quarter of 2026, marking a monumental 56% increase from its previous record-breaking first quarter of 57.2 trillion won. This spectacular performance represents a staggering 1,810% surge year-on-year, while quarterly revenue grew by 129% to 171 trillion won. In this single three-month window, the South Korean tech giant achieved more than double the total operating profit it accumulated across the entire year of 2025, and surpassed its combined total earnings from the three-year period spanning 2023 to 2025. Globally, this massive windfall eclipses the highest quarterly operating profits ever recorded in the tech sector, surpassing NVIDIA’s previous record of 53.5 billion dollars set in early 2026 and Apple’s 50.85 billion dollars recorded in late 2025. Remarkably, this milestone was achieved even after factoring in a substantial accounting provision of approximately 17 trillion won earmarked for employee performance bonuses under a newly negotiated labor-management framework that allocates 10.5% of the semiconductor division's operating profit to a special fund. Without this retroactive provision, Samsung’s quarterly operating profit would have reached approximately 106 trillion won, making it the first global company to cross the 100 trillion won threshold in a single quarter. This historic earnings surge was decisively driven by the full-scale arrival of an artificial intelligence-fueled memory semiconductor supercycle, completely dispelling recent market anxieties over a potential slowdown in big tech infrastructure spending. The global race to build AI data centers triggered explosive demand for premium, high-value components like server DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). This intense demand lifted the entire memory sector, causing average selling prices to jump by 50% for DRAM and 60% for NAND flash quarter-on-quarter. While the Device Solutions semiconductor division single-handedly propelled the company’s overall profitability with memory business profits estimated in the 90 trillion won range, other business segments faced severe collateral strain from these escalating component costs. The system LSI and foundry businesses incurred an estimated 2 trillion won operating loss, the smartphone division posted its first-ever quarterly loss due to soaring memory procurement prices, and the consumer appliances and television sector slipped back into a 200 billion won deficit. Looking ahead, analysts project that Samsung will maintain its dominant record-breaking trajectory throughout the second half of the year, leveraging a massive manufacturing capacity advantage. With a monthly DRAM production capacity estimated between 650,000 and 700,000 wafers, Samsung significantly outpaces its closest rivals, holding a capacity roughly 20% higher than SK Hynix and more than double that of Micron. Consequently, industry forecasts predict Samsung's annual operating profit for 2026 to skyrocket by 790% year-on-year to 380 trillion won, with projections climbing to 570 trillion won for 2027, yielding a cumulative two-year operating profit of 950 trillion won. Paradoxically, despite these blockbusting financial figures defying all market expectations, Samsung's stock price experienced a sharp 6.92% decline on the day of the announcement, closing below the 300,000 won threshold at 296,000 won. The company is scheduled to hold a finalized results briefing on July 30 to deliver exact divisional earnings and outline its official strategy for the latter half of the year. (ICE SEOUL)

Fonte notizia: The CHOSUN DAILY