Samsung eyes 19-fold Q2 profit surge on AI memory chip demand

South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics expects its second-quarter earnings to surge sharply, buoyed by robust global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips and growing momentum in its semiconductor business.According to media reports, the company has projected a nearly 19-fold increase in net profit for the April-June quarter of 2026. Samsung expects to post a profit of 89.4 trillion won ($58.4 billion) during the period, which would mark its third consecutive record quarterly operating profit.In its preliminary earnings guidance, Samsung described the expected results as one of the "best quarterly performances ever" for the company.The company has also forecast quarterly revenue of 171 trillion won, representing a 129% year-on-year increase, reflecting strong demand for AI-focused memory chips and advanced semiconductor solutions.The upbeat outlook comes as Samsung is expanding its presence in the AI semiconductor ecosystem. According to reports, its contract chip manufacturing arm, Samsung Foundry, is in discussions with AI firms Anthropic and Meta to manufacture their in-house AI accelerator chips using Samsung's advanced 2-nanometre (2nm) process technology.The developments follow Samsung's recent $16.5 billion manufacturing agreement with Tesla, under which the South Korean company will produce the automaker's AI6 chips using its 2nm fabrication process.Samsung is also manufacturing the latest Language Processing Units (LPUs) for Groq, a strategic technology partner of Nvidia, further strengthening its position in the rapidly growing AI chip supply chain.The company's strong earnings guidance underscores how surging investments in generative AI infrastructure and next-generation semiconductor technologies continue to drive demand for advanced memory and logic chips, positioning Samsung among the key beneficiaries of the global AI spending boom.