Samsung Electronics hits record 20 trillion won operating profit in fourth quarter of 2025

Samsung Electronics posted an operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2025, the highest quarterly figure for the chipmaker.

Samsung Electronics' Seocho office building in southern Seoul [YONHAP]

Samsung Electronics posted an operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2025, the highest quarterly figure for the chipmaker, driven by a supercycle in the chip industry.

The Suwon-based company announced its October-to-December performance in a preliminary earnings report filed on Thursday. The 20-trillion-won operating profit marks a 208.17 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The company also reported a 93-trillion-won revenue, up 22.71 percent compared to the year prior. The data for net profit was not available. Samsung Electronics did not disclose a detailed earnings breakdown for its individual business divisions.

The operating profit was 1.8 percent higher than the average estimate, according to a survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency.

Analysts said the increased earnings apparently came amid improved profitability at the Device Solutions (DS) division, which covers the company's core semiconductor business. According to Korea Investment & Securities, global prices of dynamic random-access memory and NAND flash jumped about 40 percent in the fourth quarter from the previous three-month period. Market observers estimate the operating profit of the DS division at around 16 trillion to 17 trillion won.

The company will release its final earnings report later this month.

BY YOON SO-YEON, YONHAP [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]