Updated : 2026-04-07 13:39:06 KST
Samsung Electronics' preliminary report for the first quarter has been disclosed and the company shattered records with the help of the boom in the AI industry and its demand for memory chips. Our Kim Do-yeon starts us off. Samsung Electronics' first-quarter profit beat its total for all of last year. The company announced Q1 profits of 57.2 trillion Korean won, or approximately 37.9 billion U.S. dollars.
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This sets a new record for the highest quarterly operating profit in the company's history. According to the company's preliminary earnings report released Tuesday, the operating profit is a 755 percent surge compared to the same period in 2025. Sales reached 133 trillion won, or roughly 88.1 billion dollars. That represents a 68 percent increase on-year.
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This follows a record-breaking fourth quarter of 2025, which saw 20.1 trillion won in profit. With just the first-quarter results of 2026, Samsung is already nearing its highest-ever annual operating profit of 58.89 trillion won recorded during the semiconductor super-cycle in 2018. While market analysts had widely expected a strong performance, the record-breaking figures even outpaced initial forecasts. This historic performance is underpinned by a semiconductor super-boom.
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underpin (주장 등을[의]) 뒷받침하다[근거를 대다]
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The primary driver is the explosive global demand for AI computing, which caused DRAM and NAND prices to surge by approximately 90 percent compared to the previous quarter. Securities analysts estimate that the semiconductor division's operating profit alone exceeded 50 trillion won, essentially driving the entire company's earnings. Specifically, they estimate that DRAM alone recorded over 41 trillion won in operating profit.
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Furthermore, the company's expanding capacity and market share in high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, is expected to inject further positivity into the business moving forward. A favorable exchange rate also provided a significant financial tailwind during the first quarter.
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tailwind 순풍
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Samsung's mobile and smartphone divisions also contributed to the bottom line, bolstered by the recent launch of Samsung's flagship AI-integrated handset series earlier this year. The finalized and fully audited financial results, including specific divisional performances, will be disclosed later this month following board approval. Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.
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flagship 주력[대표] 상품[서비스/건물 등]
audit 회계를 감사하다
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