* Updated with additional information
SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics retained its memory leadership in a bumper first quarter, generating its strongest three-month performance to beat expectations and local rival SK hynix, as the AI-driven gold rush fueled demand for both premium DRAM and flash memory, its final earnings report showed Thursday.
The Device Solutions (DS) division set quarterly records for both top and bottom lines, earning 53.7 trillion won ($39.2 billion) in operating profit on revenue of 81.7 trillion won, translating into a stunning operating margin of 65.7 percent, albeit still short of SK hynix’s 71.5 percent.
“The Memory Business surpassed its quarterly sales record by addressing high-value-added AI demand despite limited supply availability, with industry-wide memory price increases also a contributing factor,” the company said in a statement.
The memory giant maintained an upbeat outlook for the second quarter and the rest of the year, citing continued enterprise adoption of AI, the expansion of agentic AI and its AI-centric sales strategy.
The company, whose business spans chipmaking to smartphones and appliances, confirmed consolidated revenue of 133.9 trillion won, an all-time quarterly high, marking a 43 percent increase from the previous quarter. Operating profit also reached a record 57.2 trillion won, in line with its earlier guidance.
To solidify its market dominance, Samsung stated it has begun the industry's first simultaneous mass production of HBM4 and next-generation low-power memory modules, dubbed SOCAMM2. It also plans to supply its first samples of HBM4E in the second quarter. The foundry business successfully secured orders from a major optical communication module provider, building a foundation for its silicon photonics operations.
While semiconductors drove the bulk of the profits, the Device eXperience (DX) division, which oversees smartphones and home appliances, reported an operating profit of 3 trillion won on sales of 52.7 trillion won. The mobile business saw steady growth driven by robust sales of its flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Elsewhere, the display panel business posted an operating profit of 400 billion won, while Harman, Samsung's automotive electronics subsidiary, reported 200 billion won in profit amid an off-season for the audio market.
The company invested a record 11.3 trillion won in research and development during the first quarter. A strong U.S. dollar against the Korean won also resulted in a positive impact of approximately 1.8 trillion won on the company's overall operating profit compared to the previous quarter.
Looking ahead to the second quarter and the second half of the year, Samsung expects further earnings momentum in its semiconductor business. This will be driven by sustained AI infrastructure investments and an ongoing upward trend in memory prices. The company stated it will actively address the robust demand for server DRAM and enterprise SSDs while expanding its proportion of high-value AI memory products.
Meanwhile, the DX division will focus on improving profitability by expanding sales of premium smartphones and AI-enabled home appliances, navigating potential headwinds from rising component costs and ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties.
Shares of Samsung Electronics were trading flat at 226,000 won as of 9:50 a.m. in Seoul. The stock briefly touched an intraday high of 230,000 won in early morning trade following the record earnings report, but gave up its earlier gains as investors locked in profits ahead of the conference call.
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