Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday estimated its second-quarter operating profit at nearly 90 trillion won ($58.8 billion), marking another quarterly record as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-related semiconductors boosted earnings.
According to Qatar News Agency, the South Korean technology giant stated that the operating profit for the April-June period is expected to total 89.4 trillion won, up 1,181% from a year earlier, based on its earnings guidance. The estimate exceeded the average market forecast by 6.2%, according to Yonhap Infomax, the financial data arm of Yonhap News Agency.
The earnings outlook takes into account provisions for employee bonuses. Excluding these provisions, the quarterly operating profit is estimated to have reached around 100 trillion won. In a significant wage agreement reached in May, Samsung will grant a special semiconductor performance bonus equivalent to 10.5% 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. The provision for the bonuses is estimated at around 20 trillion won.
Samsung Electronics reported an operating profit of 43.6 trillion won for all of 2025, making the estimated second-quarter profit alone more than double the company's full-year operating profit last year. Second-quarter revenue is estimated to have risen 129.3% from a year earlier to 171 trillion won. Net profit was not included in the earnings guidance.
If confirmed, Samsung Electronics will have posted record quarterly revenue and operating profit for a third consecutive quarter since the fourth quarter of last year. While 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 robust performance is largely attributed to ongoing growth in global investment in AI infrastructure, which has exacerbated the supply shortage of semiconductors and kept memory chip prices elevated.