Woofun AI reports that Samsung Electronics anticipates its second-quarter operating profit will increase approximately 18 times year-on-year, reaching roughly 86 trillion won (about $56.35 billion). This projection stems from tight memory supplies and rising chip prices triggered by rapid AI development, marking the company's third consecutive quarter of record operating profits.

Analysts indicate that high bandwidth memory (HBM) and Agentic AI applications are driving strong demand for traditional DRAM and NAND products, with supply-demand imbalances expected to persist through next year.

However, the actual reported profit may fall slightly below market expectations due to a prior agreement to allocate 10.5% of semiconductor division operating profits as special employee bonuses to prevent strikes.

Additionally, rising memory component costs are pressuring mobile business margins, potentially necessitating smartphone price increases in the second half of the year.