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    Samsung Electronics

    Also known as Samsung, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 005930, 삼성전자

    Samsung Electronics is a South Korean company, founded in 1969, that makes memory chips, contract-manufactures chips and makes devices.[1][2] TrendForce ranked it first in DRAM in the second quarter of 2026,[3] and in October 2026 it guided third-quarter operating profit of about KRW 107.4 trillion.[4]

    Editor reviewedUpdated SemiconductorsArtificial intelligenceBig Tech
    Key facts

    Samsung Electronics is a South Korean company founded in 1969.[1] It makes memory chips, contract-manufactures chips for other companies through its foundry business, and makes devices through its Device eXperience division.[2] In the second quarter of 2026 its Device Solutions chip division produced KRW 89.2 trillion of operating profit.[5] For the third quarter it guided operating profit of about KRW 107.4 trillion on sales of about KRW 195 trillion.[4]

    Company overview

    Samsung Electronics’ registered head office is in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.[6] As of October 2026, its company information page lists Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun and President Roh Tae-moon as representative directors.[7] The company reports results through a Device Solutions (DS) division, which contains its Memory and Foundry businesses, and a Device eXperience (DX) division.[2]

    Memory and HBM

    TrendForce estimated that Samsung ranked first among DRAM makers in the second quarter of 2026. Its DRAM revenue was US$60.98 billion, a 39.4% share of an industry total of about US$154.73 billion.[3]

    Samsung markets high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI computing. On February 12, 2026 it said it had begun mass production of HBM4 and shipped commercial products to customers. The chips use its sixth-generation 10nm-class (1c) DRAM process with a 4nm logic base die. Samsung said the chips run at 11.7 Gbps, about 46% above the 8 Gbps industry standard.[8] At the time, Samsung said it expected its HBM sales to more than triple in 2026 compared with 2025, and that it was expanding HBM4 production capacity.[9] In July 2026 it said it had scaled up HBM4 sales and shipped the industry’s first HBM4E samples to major customers.[10]

    Demand for HBM reflects what engineers call the memory wall. One widely cited analysis argues that memory bandwidth, rather than compute, has become the main bottleneck for AI workloads, especially when serving models.[11]

    Foundry

    Samsung’s foundry business competes with TSMC for contract chipmaking. TrendForce estimated Samsung Foundry’s second-quarter 2026 revenue at US$3.26 billion. That made it second among foundries with a 5.9% share.[12] TSMC’s estimated share was 72.5%.[13]

    Samsung was early to gate-all-around-transistors: in June 2022 it announced production on a 3nm process using its gate-all-around MBCFET design, which it called the world’s first.[14] It began mass production of first-generation 2nm products in the fourth quarter of 2025 and planned to ramp second-generation 2nm production in 2026.[15] In July 2025 it disclosed a US$16.5 billion chip supply contract running to the end of 2033. Samsung did not name the customer, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the deal included Tesla’s AI6 chip, to be made at Samsung’s Texas fab.[16] In 2Q26, Samsung said demand for HBM base dies improved foundry earnings before incentive-related provisions.[2]

    Financial results

    Samsung reported 2025 revenue of KRW 333.6 trillion and operating profit of KRW 43.6 trillion.[17] Its fourth-quarter 2025 revenue of KRW 93.8 trillion and operating profit of KRW 20.1 trillion were records at the time, and its Memory Business set an all-time high for quarterly revenue.[18] In 2026, second-quarter revenue was a record KRW 171.5 trillion and operating profit was KRW 89.5 trillion.[19] The DS division produced KRW 127.5 trillion of that revenue and KRW 89.2 trillion of operating profit.[5] DX division sales fell 9% from the previous quarter.[20]

    On October 8, 2026 Samsung issued preliminary third-quarter guidance of about KRW 195 trillion in sales and about KRW 107.4 trillion in operating profit. Samsung noted that Korean disclosure rules do not allow guidance as a range; the underlying ranges were KRW 194–196 trillion for sales and KRW 107.3–107.5 trillion for operating profit.[4] Full results had not been released as of October 10, 2026.[4]

    Questions readers ask

    What does Samsung Electronics make?

    It reports through a Device Solutions division, which includes its Memory and Foundry businesses, and a Device eXperience division for devices.[2]

    Is Samsung the largest DRAM maker?

    TrendForce estimated that Samsung ranked first in DRAM in the second quarter of 2026, with a 39.4% revenue share.[3]

    Does Samsung make HBM4 memory for AI chips?

    Yes. Samsung said in February 2026 that it had begun HBM4 mass production and shipped commercial products to customers, and in July 2026 that it had shipped the first HBM4E samples.[8][10]

    How does Samsung's foundry compare with TSMC?

    TrendForce estimated Samsung Foundry's share at 5.9% in the second quarter of 2026, second to TSMC at 72.5%.[12][13]

    Sources

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Status shows how well established it is.

    1. [1]

      Samsung Electronics was founded in 1969. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    2. [2]

      Samsung Electronics reports through a Device Solutions (DS) division, which includes its Memory and Foundry businesses, and a Device eXperience (DX) division. confirmedas of 2026-07-30

    3. [3]

      TrendForce estimated that Samsung ranked first in DRAM in 2Q26 with a 39.4% revenue share and quarterly DRAM revenue of US$60.98 billion, out of total DRAM industry revenue of about US$154.73 billion. reportedas of 2026-06-30

    4. [4]

      On October 8, 2026 Samsung Electronics guided third-quarter 2026 consolidated sales of about KRW 195 trillion and operating profit of about KRW 107.4 trillion (preliminary, unaudited); Samsung said the underlying ranges were KRW 194–196 trillion and KRW 107.3–107.5 trillion. confirmedas of 2026-10-08

    5. [5]

      Samsung's Device Solutions division posted 2Q26 revenue of KRW 127.5 trillion and operating profit of KRW 89.2 trillion. confirmedas of 2026-06-30

    6. [6]

      Samsung Electronics' registered head office is at 129 Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    7. [7]

      As of October 2026, Samsung Electronics' company information page lists Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun and President Roh Tae-moon as its representative directors (co-CEOs). confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    8. [8]

      On February 12, 2026 Samsung said it had begun mass production of HBM4 and shipped commercial products to customers, built on its sixth-generation 10nm-class (1c) DRAM process with a 4nm logic base die, and delivers 11.7 Gbps per pin, about 46% above the 8 Gbps industry standard. confirmedas of 2026-02-12

    9. [9]

      In February 2026 Samsung said it expected its HBM sales to more than triple in 2026 compared with 2025 and that it was expanding HBM4 production capacity. confirmedas of 2026-02-12· forecast

    10. [10]

      Samsung said in July 2026 that it had scaled up HBM4 sales and shipped the industry's first HBM4E samples to major customers. confirmedas of 2026-07-30

    11. [11]

      The same analysis argues that memory bandwidth, rather than compute, has become the primary bottleneck for AI workloads, especially when serving models. confirmedas of 2024-03-21

      • AI and Memory Wall · arXiv (published in IEEE Micro) · 2024-03-21 · Abstract (retrieved 2026-10-10)
    12. [12]

      TrendForce estimated Samsung Foundry's 2Q26 revenue at US$3.26 billion, second among foundries with a 5.9% share. reportedas of 2026-06-30

    13. [13]

      TrendForce estimated that TSMC held 72.5% of top-10 foundry revenue in 2Q26, with Samsung Foundry second at 5.9%. reportedas of 2026-06-30

    14. [14]

      Samsung announced on June 30, 2022 that it had begun production on a 3nm process using gate-all-around transistors, calling it the world's first 3nm process with its MBCFET design. confirmedas of 2022-06-30

    15. [15]

      Samsung's foundry business began mass production of first-generation 2nm products in the fourth quarter of 2025 and planned to ramp second-generation 2nm production in 2026. confirmedas of 2025-12-31

    16. [16]

      In July 2025 Samsung disclosed a US$16.5 billion chip supply contract running to December 31, 2033, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk said would include Tesla's AI6 chip made at Samsung's Texas fab. reportedas of 2025-07-28

    17. [17]

      Samsung Electronics reported 2025 revenue of KRW 333.6 trillion and operating profit of KRW 43.6 trillion. confirmedas of 2025-12-31

    18. [18]

      In the fourth quarter of 2025 Samsung Electronics posted its then-highest quarterly revenue of KRW 93.8 trillion and a record operating profit of KRW 20.1 trillion, with its Memory Business setting an all-time high for quarterly revenue. confirmedas of 2025-12-31

    19. [19]

      In the second quarter of 2026 Samsung Electronics reported record consolidated revenue of KRW 171.5 trillion and operating profit of KRW 89.5 trillion. confirmedas of 2026-06-30

    20. [20]

      Samsung's Device eXperience division posted a 9% quarter-on-quarter sales decrease in 2Q26. confirmedas of 2026-06-30

    21. [21]

      NVIDIA does not manufacture its own chips; it uses foundries such as TSMC and Samsung Electronics. confirmedas of 2026-02-25

    Revision history (2)
    1. Page created.
    2. Refresh: replaced the HBM4E excerpt with the full verbatim sentence; added links to the memory-wall and gate-all-around pages.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 10, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "Samsung Electronics." ContentLora, updated Oct 10, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/samsung-electronics

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