Overview
- Samsung, which issued preliminary first‑quarter figures Tuesday, guided for a record 57.2 trillion won in operating profit on 133 trillion won in revenue as AI data‑center demand lifted memory prices.
- Following Tuesday’s surprise, Samsung shares rose about 7% to 210,500 won on Wednesday and SK Hynix jumped as much as 15% to 1,050,000 won, pushing Samsung Group’s combined market value near 1,600 trillion won, according to the Korea Exchange.
- Analysts say the windfall came almost entirely from memory, with one estimate putting memory profit near 54 trillion won and logic chips in the red, while brokerage consensus points to weaker phone earnings near 2.5 trillion won as rising DRAM and NAND costs squeezed margins.
- Research firms expect further price gains, with TrendForce forecasting contract DRAM above 50% higher this quarter, and brokers raising targets for Samsung, including KB Securities at 360,000 won, citing possible multi‑year supply deals with major tech customers.
- High‑bandwidth memory, a fast stacked memory used in AI accelerators like those paired with Nvidia chips, sits at the center of the upcycle, though Samsung’s detailed segment results arrive April 30 and risks such as higher energy costs and material constraints remain in view.