Overview
- Samsung reported preliminary second‑quarter operating profit of about 89 trillion won and revenue of roughly 171 trillion won, figures released on Tuesday that far exceed last year’s quarter.
- Investors pushed the stock down about 9–10 percent after the release because traders worried the AI‑driven memory boom may slow and future demand depends on continued data‑centre spending by large tech firms.
- Management and the union reached a May deal that granted large annual bonuses to semiconductor workers and Samsung said those provisions reduced the headline operating profit with analysts estimating an adjusted figure above 100 trillion won without them.
- The numbers are preliminary and Samsung will publish full net‑profit figures and a detailed segment breakdown at the end of the month.
- Samsung’s gains reflect its leading position in DRAM, NAND and high‑bandwidth memory and have stoked debate in South Korea about profit distribution and the wider economy as companies and workers benefit unevenly from the AI build‑out.