In the first half of this year, driven by the semiconductor industry boom sparked by the artificial intelligence (AI) frenzy, Samsung Electronics achieved significant sales growth in both the U.S. and China, primarily driven by semiconductor products.
According to the latest semiannual report disclosed by Samsung Electronics, as of the end of June, export sales to the United States reached 70.6466 trillion won (approximately $50 billion) among its major regional markets. This figure more than doubled compared to the 33.4759 trillion won recorded in the same period last year.
Although the semiannual report did not separately break down regional sales for the DX (Device eXperience and finished products) and DS (Device Solutions and semiconductors) divisions, this growth is widely interpreted as the result of the DS division expanding its production, sales, and operations centered around major tech companies.
The expansion of investments in AI servers and data centers has increased the demand for high-performance memory such as HBM. Meanwhile, supply and demand imbalances in memory semiconductors like DRAM and NAND flash have led to a continuous upward trend in prices. Both factors have played a crucial role. Currently, Samsung Electronics is supplying fifth-generation HBM3E and sixth-generation HBM4 products to major tech giants, including Nvidia.
In the first half of this year, Samsung's DS division generated sales of 209.2 trillion won, accounting for 68.5% of the company's total sales of 305.4 trillion won. Furthermore, it contributed an operating profit of 142.9 trillion won, representing a staggering 97.4% of Samsung's total operating profit.
The upward trend in exports to China was equally prominent. During this period, export sales to China reached 88.6004 trillion won (approximately $62.8 billion), surpassing exports to the United States. Compared to the 28.7918 trillion won in the first half of last year, this represents a massive increase of 207.7%. The semiconductor products Samsung Electronics sells and exports in China include not only server products but also mobile components such as LPDDR, NAND flash, image sensors, and display driver ICs (DDI).
