Samsung Electronics concluded the year with its strongest-ever results and a threefold increase in fourth-quarter operating profit. Growing demand for artificial intelligence servers and a global shortage of advanced memory chips helped push profits beyond record highs and beat benchmarks.
Quarter-over-quarter revenue totaled 93.8 trillion won, or roughly $65.6 billion, beating analysts’ expectations. Operating profit rose to 20.1 trillion won, more than 200 percent higher than a year earlier. It was Samsung’s most impressive quarterly profit on record, breaking through the previous record high of 2018 and confirming the magnitude of its comeback after a sustained semiconductor drop.
Surging AI memory demand delivers record earnings
The profit boom was led by Samsung’s memory chip division, which delivered record revenue and operating profit. Price increases across the memory market and the expansion of sold-out products in high-value segments boosted overall performance during the quarter. That growth was fueled by high-bandwidth memory (HBM).
HBM is a vital part of the AI infrastructure for servers and data centers, enabling the high-performance workloads of generative AI and massive-scale machine learning models. Samsung has increased its focus on this sector in recent years through its Device Solutions division.
HBM’s global demand has outpaced supply, with AI chipmakers, including Nvidia, competing for limited volumes. By concentrating memory producers’ attention on the need for AI-related product capacity, shortages in many parts of the broader market have spread into the general market, with price premiums for chips that support personal computers and mobile phones pushing up the cost of chips used in personal computers and smartphones.
That pricing strength has massively increased margins for major memory suppliers such as Samsung and its rival SK Hynix, which posted record earnings this week.
Samsung said demand for AI and server products is expected to keep climbing heading into the first quarter of 2026. We have also focused on maintaining that focus across our high-performance, high-margin memory product lineup to sustain strong structural growth.
Smartphone unit struggles as competition intensifies
Though semiconductors contributed to overall performance, Samsung’s smartphone business remained under pressure. The mobile experience and networks business logged an operating profit of 1.9 trillion won in the fourth quarter, almost 10% lower than the same period last year, a far cry from last quarter’s high.
Samsung said the weaker result was due to softer momentum from recent mobile launches and tough competition in major markets worldwide. Slower demand growth and pricing pressure hurt profitability, but it retained its status as one of the world’s top handset manufacturers.
With 2026 upon us, Samsung is betting on artificial intelligence to revitalize its mobile business. The company will release what it calls “Agentic AI experiences” with the launch of the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. Simultaneously, it is seeking to expand profits by driving flagship device sales, implementing tighter cost controls, and strengthening its supply chain amid intense global competition.
The MX Business intends to consolidate its mobile AI leadership by leveraging next-generation AI experiences and innovation in slimmer, lighter form factors. Additionally, it will pursue comprehensive growth across all segments via AI-driven product sales and new market expansion, while upholding a steadfast commitment to profitability through process optimization amid persistent cost pressures.
For now, the AI-powered memory boom is shaping Samsung’s performance. The most recent findings underscore how central advanced chips have become to the company’s growth story and to the broader worldwide technology sector.
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