The world's largest memory chipmaker expects supply constraints to worsen through 2027 as demand from data centres drives record semiconductor profits
South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported a record operating profit of 89.5 trillion won (USD 62 billion) for the April-June period, a day after crosstown rival SK Hynix also reported record earnings, as the world's two largest memory chipmakers continue to ride the global artificial intelligence boom. Despite their soaring profits, the companies' shares have fallen sharply this week in South Korea's volatile stock market, where retail investors often drive sharp swings in share prices, as concerns grow over their plans to spend massively on increasing manufacturing capacity and the prospects of intensifying competition from China. Samsung's second-quarter operating profit was a more than 19-fold increase from a year earlier, and nearly all of it came from its semiconductor business, which benefited from rising chip prices driven by demand for AI servers and increased shipments of advanced high-bandwidth memory chips used to power AI applications. That ..
After Samsung agreed to hefty employee bonuses, labour unions at Hyundai, Kakao, Naver and other major South Korean companies are stepping up demands for higher profit-linked payouts
Samsung has cut jobs in its US consumer electronics business as it relocates its headquarters to Texas while prioritising growth in AI-driven chip operations
Fund managers worldwide are increasingly tracking South Korean equities as swings in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shape sentiment across global AI and semiconductor stocks
Samsung shares nevertheless dropped as much as 7.9% in morning trade, while rival SK Hynix's shares fell as much as 7.3%, dragging the benchmark KOSPI down 6%
The investment, which would include AI data centers, batteries and displays, will be announced at a meeting with President Lee Jae Myung at the presidential office
The Kospi closed down 10%, with losses extending after a 20-minute trading suspension by the Korea Exchange
Shares of SK Hynix, now the world's most valuable memory chipmaker, traded up 5.7% to bring the company's market capitalisation to 2,082.5 trillion won
SK Hynix rose as much as 11 per cent in South Korea on Wednesday, taking its 12-month gain to more than 1,000 per cent and becoming the third Asian company to join the $1 trillion club
Samsung Electronics reaches tentative wage deal with union, easing fears of major semiconductor supply disruptions
Management and union leaders at Samsung Electronics failed to reach a last-minute deal over wages Wednesday, raising prospects for a strike at the South Korean electronics giant that could rattle global semiconductor supplies and the country's trade-dependent economy. Government officials have threatened to invoke rarely used emergency powers to force a settlement at Samsung, where the union, which represents about 74,000 workers, says the company has failed to offer adequate compensation despite its soaring profits fuelled by the global boom in artificial intelligence. After the latest round of talks ended without a breakthrough on Wednesday, union leader Choi Seung-ho told reporters that unionized workers will begin an 18-day strike from Thursday. Both the union and the management held each other responsible for a failure to reach a deal. Choi accused management of refusing to accept a government-mediated proposal whose details he refused to disclose. Management accused the union
Samsung India is expanding its enterprise strategy through integrated ecosystems, AI-led solutions and experiential retail centres targeting businesses across sectors
The milestone came as the South Korean company's shares rallied as much as 12 per cent early on Wednesday, making it only the second Asian firm after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to hit mark
Workers have pointed to rising payouts at SK Hynix, which last year agreed to allocate 10 per cent of its annual operating profit to a performance bonus pool
Samsung is working on a wider version of its standard Galaxy Z Fold that could mirror the form factor Apple Inc. is planning for its first model
Samsung Electronics has said it will prioritise governance, protect privacy and secure its services to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a 'true companion' of users. The South Korean consumer electronics giant's announcement comes amid a raging debate about consumers' security and privacy in the rapidly evolving AI era. Samsung, which is planning to embed AI in all its products and services starting this year, said its hybrid AI model ensures personal data remains on-device whenever possible, and cloud-based intelligence is used selectively when greater speed or scale is required, giving users flexibility without compromising privacy. Additionally, the company emphasised that trust will grow when AI behaves predictably and securely across devices. Samsung's Shin Baik, the head of its AI Platform Center (APC), highlighted Samsung's open collaboration with industry leaders, such as Google and Microsoft, as a way to strengthen shared security research, interoperabilit
Samsung unveils 130-inch Micro RGB TV ahead of CES. CMF to launch Headphone Pro, Watch 3 Pro in India. OPPO A6 Pro launched in India. ASUS launches new OLED gaming monitor
Samsung seeks to reclaim its lost crown from Apple in the smartphone market and fend off competition from Chinese rivals not only in mobile telephones, but televisions and home appliances
Samsung's updated Freestyle+ projector adds brighter output and AI OptiScreen tools, with the portable display set to be showcased at CES 2026 in Las Vegas