IN A NUTSHELL: Anyone looking for proof of AI's impact on the semiconductor industry need look no further than Samsung. The company is one of several benefiting from surging demand for AI hardware, but the sheer amount of profit it is expected to generate this year is nothing short of staggering.
During a recent town hall meeting, Kim Yong-Kwan, President of Corporate Management, Strategy, and Operations for Samsung's Device Solutions division, said the company's profit in 2026 would surpass its cumulative profit over the last 40 years since they entered the semiconductor business.
Yeah, let that sink in for a moment.
It is worth noting that Samsung is expecting to report an annual profit in the neighborhood of around 300 trillion won, or roughly $200 billion.
Companies like Samsung, Nvidia, SK Hynix and others are stacking record revenue on the sale of AI-related hardware as interest in artificial intelligence continues to sweep the globe. As you've no doubt heard by now, the situation is creating a major bottleneck for core electronic components like memory – driving up prices on goods and services as device manufacturers fight for what little inventory remains.
