The South Korean technology group Samsung has estimated its operating profit for the first three months of the year at 57.2 trillion won, the equivalent of almost 32.3 billion euros. That is around eight times as much as a year ago and significantly more than the previous high at the end of 2025. At 133 trillion won, sales are also around 68 percent above the same period last year.
The main reason for this development is the continued high demand for semiconductors, which are primarily needed for AI infrastructure. The business figures are an initial estimate; the exact figures are expected to be published at the end of the month.
Pessimistic profit expectations in other Samsung businesses
The figures for the first quarter meet market expectations clearly exceeded. According to a survey conducted by the South Korean news agency Yonhap, the expected operating profit is on average 36.7 percent higher than the estimates of the economists surveyed. Investors reacted positively to the news in the morning, with the South Korean leading index Kospi rising by 2.4 percent.
In the other business areas from Samsung, for example smartphones or televisions, profit expectations are more pessimistic due to increased costs and greater competition. Also rising wage costs as a result of threatened strikes South Korea From May onwards, the company’s further expectations could become cloudy.
The ongoing war in Iran could affect Samsung’s profits in the following quarters. Since the start of the war, Samsung’s share price has already fallen by 14 percent. Experts expect a possible reluctance to invest among technology companies in the area of AI data centers due to rising energy costs and the disruption of supply chains.