Samsung Electronics reported a preliminary first-quarter 2026 operating profit of 57.2 trillion won ($38 billion).
This represents a 755% year-over-year increase, significantly exceeding market expectations. Soaring demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips for AI data centers primarily drove the growth.
A broader recovery in memory chip prices further boosted the company's bottom line. These results place Samsung’s profitability on par with major U.S. technology giants.
Analysts have raised future earnings estimates following the report. They anticipate the supply-demand imbalance for high-performance memory will continue to drive prices higher throughout 2026.