The semiconductor business contributed 30 percent to Samsung's overall revenue. Chip sales were up 2 percent year-on-year to KRW 5.01 trillion. However, memory and system LSI chips performed quite different; while system LSI sales climbed 25 percent to KRW 0.74 trillion, sales of memory devices declined 2 percent to KRW 3.58 trillion.

LCD products hiked 34 percent to KRW 4.02 trillion. The company's telecom business climbed 8 percent to KRW 5.08 trillion, with mobile handsets accounting for the lion's share of KRW 4.8 trillion. Handsets performed in-line with the entire telecommunications business, adding 8 percent.

Digital Media was the weakest sector, shrinking 9 percent to KRW 1.48 trillion. Appliances added 12 percent to KRW 0.93 trillion.

In the LCD business, operating profit skyrocketed 317 percent to KRW 0.67 trillion. At the same time, the margin more than tripled from 5 percent last year to 17 percent.

Telecom operating profit rose 13 percent to KRW 0.59 trillion. The other two business divisions, Digital Media and Appliances, saw a small operating loss.

For the quarter ahead, the company expects DRAM demand to grow, stabilizing spot prices. The demand of specialty DRAM for mobile handsets, portable music players, game consoles and similar products will grow particularly strong, the company predicts.

In addition, Samsung's semiconductor segment will achieve significant cost reductions by accelerating mass production of 68nm and 80nm devices. In the NAND segment, the company expects strong demand as well.

In the LCD segment, Samsung experts a sharp increase in seasonal demand for large screens. In addition, the company warns of tight supply for computer LCD monitors as a consequence of strong seasonal demand.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved