Samsung Reported a Record First Quarter

Samsung’s semiconductor business was behind record quarterly revenue and profit in the opening three months. The South Korean vendor expects the momentum to continue throughout this year due to global AI infrastructure expansion.

Revenue of KRW133.9 trillion ($90.1 billion) was up 69% year-on-year, and operating profit surged 756% to KRW57.2 trillion. Net profit rose from KRW8.2 trillion to KRW47.2 trillion. Samsung stated that the record quarter was a result of demand for its AI technology innovations and proactive market response, reaffirming its leadership in core businesses despite an uncertain macroeconomic environment.

Its Device Solutions chip unit was a standout, with revenue up 225% to KRW81.7 trillion and operating profit of KRW53.7 trillion, up 52.6%. Sales from memory rose 292% to KRW74.6 trillion, surpassing a quarterly record due to high-value-added AI demand “despite limited supply availability”. Industry-wide memory price increases were also a contributing factor. Its Device eXperience division, covering smartphones and consumer electronics, posted revenue of KRW52.7 trillion, up 2%.

Samsung anticipates its memory business to maintain strong demand due to AI infrastructure expansion in the current quarter. “The business also aims to proactively capitalise on early demand for new GPUs and CPUs to be launched in the second half of 2026, and plans to continue its AI product-centric sales strategy for both DRAM and NAND,” Samsung stated. The company expects server memory demand to remain strong in H2 as hyperscale companies accommodate increasing adoption of AI and LLMs by enterprises, along with agentic AI momentum.