Samsung Posts Record Revenue as AI Memory Chips Drive Profit Surge and Galaxy S26 Demand Strengthens

Samsung Electronics delivered its strongest first-quarter performance on record in 2026, as accelerating demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure fueled unprecedented growth in its semiconductor business and supported robust smartphone sales.

The company reported record first-quarter revenue of KRW 133.9 trillion (approximately US$97 billion), representing a 69% increase compared with the same period last year. Operating profit surged to KRW 57.2 trillion, marking an eightfold increase year over year.

The primary driver behind the exceptional performance was Samsung’s semiconductor division, which continues to benefit from global investments in AI infrastructure. The business generated KRW 53.7 trillion in operating profit, nearly 48 times higher than a year earlier, highlighting the rapidly expanding demand for high-performance memory solutions used in artificial intelligence applications.

A key contributor has been Samsung’s sixth-generation HBM4 (High Bandwidth Memory) chips, designed to support advanced AI accelerators and data center workloads. The company surpassed US$1 billion in HBM4 sales within just four months of beginning mass production and expects revenue from the product line to exceed US$1.2 billion by the end of June 2026, underscoring strong adoption among AI hardware manufacturers.

Beyond semiconductors, Samsung also reported encouraging momentum in its mobile business. Sales of the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S26 increased approximately 5% during the first six weeks following launch, signaling healthy consumer demand despite a competitive global smartphone market.

The results reinforce Samsung’s growing exposure to the artificial intelligence supply chain, where demand for advanced memory chips has become a key driver of industry growth. The company’s semiconductor and mobile businesses both contributed to first-quarter performance, although to different degrees.

For the remainder of 2026, market participants are expected to focus on the pace of AI-related infrastructure spending, customer adoption of Samsung’s HBM4 memory products, and the sustainability of demand for the Galaxy S26 lineup, as indicators of the company’s operating performance.