April 7, 2026 /SemiMedia/ — Samsung Electronics reported a sharp rise in first-quarter profit, with operating profit reaching 57.2 trillion won, up 755% from a year earlier, as strong demand for AI-related memory chips continued to support the semiconductor market despite global uncertainties.

Preliminary results showed operating profit reached 57.2 trillion won, well above market expectations, while revenue also came in stronger than forecast. The performance was mainly driven by the company’s memory business.

Analysts said memory likely accounted for the majority of earnings, with tight supply seen in both high bandwidth memory (HBM) and conventional DRAM products. Demand from AI servers and data centers pushed both pricing and shipments higher during the quarter.

South Korea’s semiconductor exports also reflected the trend, with March shipments surging to a record level, supported by strong global demand for AI infrastructure.

Cloud service providers continued to expand spending on data centers, increasing orders for advanced memory used in AI training and inference. This helped improve margins across the semiconductor supply chain.

Market data showed average DRAM prices rose sharply in the first quarter. Analysts expect pricing to remain supported as AI inference demand grows, providing continued upside for memory suppliers.

Overall, AI-driven demand is becoming a key factor shaping the semiconductor cycle, with Samsung benefiting early from tighter supply and stronger pricing in the memory market.