Samsung

Feb. 26 (Asia Today) — Samsung Electronics President Roh Tae-moon said the company aims for the new Galaxy S26 to surpass its predecessor’s sales, highlighting upgraded artificial intelligence features despite higher retail prices.

Speaking Tuesday at a Galaxy Unpacked press briefing in San Francisco, Roh said the Galaxy S25 series exceeded the prior model’s sales, citing improved real-world user feedback over time.

Market researcher Counterpoint Research said Galaxy S25 sales from February through December rose 5% from the previous generation. Industry estimates place total sales in the high 30 million range.

Roh said the Galaxy S26 features more advanced “agentic AI” capabilities and strengthened practical tools such as Photo Assist. He added that tighter integration between software and hardware, including a privacy-focused display feature, has drawn positive responses from global partners.

Samsung has expanded its AI platform beyond Bixby and Google Gemini to include additional services, and introduced a new AI operating system developed in cooperation with Google to enable smoother AI-driven functions. Roh described the strategy as a “hybrid AI” approach allowing users to choose optimized AI tools for different tasks.

The company is also positioning AI as a differentiator across product tiers, from flagship to entry-level smartphones.

Samsung raised domestic launch prices for its latest Galaxy S series by as much as 300,000 won, about $225, after keeping prices unchanged for three years, citing rising component costs. Counterpoint has projected Samsung’s smartphone shipments could decline about 2% this year amid higher prices.

Roh acknowledged cost pressures but said Samsung’s long-established supply chain gives it flexibility. He said the company will pursue innovation that maintains performance even with fewer components, using AI to offset hardware constraints and limit the impact of cost increases.

“As AI evolves, the importance of devices will only grow,” Roh said, adding that smartphones remain the primary interface through which users generate data and interact with AI services.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260227010008181

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (UPI) — South Korea’s Samsung SDI said Monday it collaborated with Columbia University to publish a paper on what it described as a major advance in futuristic lithium-metal batteries.

The study, published in Joule, one of the world’s leading peer-reviewed journals in energy science, discussed the development of a new electrolyte formulation designed to improve the lifespan and safety of lithium-metal batteries, according to Samsung SDI.

Lithium-metal batteries have been regarded as a next-generation technology because they can offer very high energy density, around 1.6 times that of conventional lithium-ion batteries.

However, their commercialization has been constrained by limited charge-discharge lifespans. Samsung SDI expected that the new findings could help address the challenges.

Once commercialized, Samsung SDI projected that lithium-metal batteries could bolster industries that require high energy density, including advanced wearable devices.

“The publication in Joule provides academic validation of our technology that improves the safety of lithium-metal batteries, which had long been considered a key weakness,” Samsung SDI Executive Vice President Joo Yong-lak said in a statement.

“We will continue to accelerate the development of next-generation battery technologies based on our global research network,” he added.

Yuan Yang, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Columbia University, echoed the sentiment.

“This study represents a major improvement in lithium-metal battery performance through a new electrolyte formulation and brings commercialization of next-generation batteries one step closer,” he said.

The share price of Samsung SDI fell.61% on the Seoul bourse Monday. As a major affiliate of Samsung Group, the company is one of the world’s largest battery manufacturers.

SEOUL, Feb. 19 (UPI) — South Korea’s Samsung C&T said Thursday it would invest up to $6.5 billion during the next three years to nurture future growth engines.

Samsung C&T is a diversified Samsung affiliate that builds major infrastructure, trades global materials and energy, and operates fashion and resort businesses.

Through 2028, the Seoul-based company is scheduled to allocate between $4.5 billion and $5.2 billion to next-generation growth areas, including energy and bio. However, it did not disclose further details.

In addition, Samsung C&T plans to spend a maximum of $1.3 billion to beef up competitiveness in its existing operations by shifting toward a high-margin business model and expanding into overseas markets.

The firm also unveiled a three-year plan to raise its dividend per share by 25%.

“Over the next three years, we will focus on delivering results from growth businesses centered on energy and bio while strengthening our existing portfolio,” Samsung C&T said in a regulatory filing.

“On the back of a stable financial structure, we strive to pursue investments in future growth areas alongside shareholder returns,” it added.

The construction unit is one of the country’s leading contractors. It was lead builder of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, the world’s tallest skyscraper.

The company saw its 2025 operating profit rise 10.4% to $2.27 billion, while annual sales edged down 3.2% to $28 billion year-on-year.

The share price of Samsung C&T climbed 0.47% on the Seoul bourse Thursday.

Feb. 4 (Asia Today) — Samsung Electronics’ common shares became the first single stock in South Korea to reach a market capitalization of 1,000 trillion won ($690.7 billion) as the benchmark KOSPI hovered near the 5,300 level.

The milestone came about two weeks after Samsung’s combined common and preferred shares exceeded 1,000 trillion won in market value.

The Korea Exchange said Samsung Electronics closed Wednesday at 169,100 won ($116.80), up 0.96% from the previous session. The shares have gained 31.6% from their closing level on Jan. 2 of 128,500 won.

Samsung opened lower, then turned higher late in the morning. After moving into positive territory in early afternoon trading, the stock set an intraday record of 169,400 won.

Individual investors bought a net 135.1 billion won ($93.3 million) of Samsung shares and institutional investors bought a net 650.2 billion won ($449.1 million), helping push the stock to the 1,000 trillion won threshold.

Analysts have linked the rally to rising memory prices amid expanding global investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Samsung posted 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion) in operating profit in the fourth quarter of last year, setting a quarterly record, and brokerages have forecast annual operating profit exceeding 130 trillion won ($89.8 billion) this year.

Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended a corporate roundtable on youth employment and regional investment expansion at the Blue House on Wednesday. The meeting included leaders from South Korea’s top conglomerates and marked President Lee Jae-myung’s first major gathering this year with business chiefs.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260204010001675

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (UPI) — South Korea’s two semiconductor giants, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, posted record performances last year, driven by the rising demand for memory chips amid the AI boom.

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that its fourth-quarter operating profit more than doubled year-on-year to $14 billion on sales of $65.6 billion, up 23.8%. Both were all-time highs.

For the full year 2025, revenue rose 10.9% from a year earlier to $233.4 billion, while operating income climbed 33.2% to $30.5 billion.

The strong showing came a day after SK hynix released its strong earnings.

In the final quarter of 2025, SK hynix posted $23 billion in sales, up 66% from a year before, for an operating profit of $13.4 billion, a 137% surge.

For the full year, its turnover and operating income increased 47% and 101% to $68 billion and $33 billion, respectively.

The 2026 outlook for both companies remains bright amid continued expansion in the AI industry.

“Looking ahead to Q1 2026, the DS Division expects AI and server demand to continue increasing, leading to more opportunities for structural growth. In response, the division will continue to focus on profitability via a strong emphasis on high-performance products,” Samsung said in a statement.

“In 2026 as a whole, the DS Division aims to lead the AI era with product competitiveness amid a rapidly growing demand environment, particularly by expanding the sales of AI-related offerings in both DRAM and NAND,” it added.

Short for device solutions, Samsung’s DS Division deals with semiconductors and components. By contrast, its device experience part handles mobile phones, home appliances and network equipment.

“As the AI market shifts from training to inference while demand for distributed architectures expands, the role of memory will become increasingly critical,” SK hynix said in a statement.

“Accordingly, not only demand for high-performance memory such as HBM is expected to grow continuously, but also for overall memory products including server DRAM and NAND as well,” it said.

Semiconductor super-cycle and DRAM beggars

In line with the upbeat prospect, brokerage houses project that Samsung’s bottom line will near $90 billion this year, while that of SK hynix will surpass $70 billion.

SK Securities even forecasts that Samsung and SK hynix each will rack up more than $100 billion in profits this year.

Soaring semiconductor prices and outstanding earnings of chipmakers have fueled talk of a “semiconductor super-cycle.”

Business tracker TrendForce predicts that DRAM prices will rocket more than 55% in the first three months of 2026 compared to the previous quarter. Those of NAND flash are also expected to climb over 30% over the same period.

SK Securities analyst Han Dong-hee also said that supply shortages are spreading across all product segments, including advanced high-bandwidth memory, which is essential for AI applications, as well as commodity DRAM used in mobile devices or computers.

“For customers, the top priority has become securing stable volumes through long-term agreements, while suppliers are expected to pursue profit maximization and stable growth by optimizing the share of long-term contracts,” Han said in a report.

Sungkyunkwan University semiconductor professor Choi Byoung-deog said that there are “DRAM beggars,” or executives from major global tech companiesm who have been traveling to Korea to beg for chips from Samsung and SK hynix.

“The super-cycle in memory will eventually come to an end. As global tech giants keep pouring massive investments into AI, however, the current upcycle is likely to last two or three years,” Choi told UPI. “That’s why desperate buyers are flying to Korea to plead for memory chip supplies.”

Sungkyunkwan University semiconductor professor Han Tae-hee struck a more cautious tone, though.

“I also expect that the present super-cycle will continue through this summer. But beyond that, any unexpected events could take place to weigh on the semiconductor industry,” Han said in a phone interview.

“Six months ago, we could not predict today’s booming memory chip sales. Likewise, we cannot know for sure what will happen six months later.”

The share price of Samsung Electronics fell 1.05% on the Seoul bourse Thursday, while SK hynix rose 2.38%.