Samsung Electronics has forecast a 56% year-on-year plunge in second-quarter operating profit to ₩4.6 trillion (US$3.3 billion), sharply undercutting LSEG’s smart estimate of ₩6.26 trillion. Revenue is projected at ₩74 trillion, also below expectations of ₩75.55 trillion.
The miss underscores Samsung’s struggle to keep pace with rivals SK Hynix and Micron in the booming high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chip market.
While SK Hynix has secured NVIDIA certification and is shipping next-gen HBM3E chips, Samsung’s latest offerings are still undergoing evaluation, delaying its access to the AI infrastructure boom.
Analysts cite United States export restrictions on advanced chips to China, inventory write-downs, and weak foundry utilisation as key drags.
With NVIDIA commanding 70% of global HBM demand, Samsung’s delay in securing certification is a costly setback in the AI arms race.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KRX: 005930) was trading at ₩61,450, down ₩250 (0.41%) today. It has a market cap of around ₩405.18 trillion.
