Samsung reports 28% jump in profit despite supply chain woes

Samsung reports 28% jump in profit despite supply chain woes

SEOUL: South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted a 28-percent jump in operating profit yesterday despite global supply chain challenges caused by the pandemic. The world’s top chipmaker saw its operating profit reach 15.8 trillion won ($13.5 billion) for the July-September period, it said in a regulatory filing. Its sales rose 10 percent on-year to a record 74 trillion won on the back of strong performance from its memory chip division thanks to sustained global demand.

“Favorable market conditions continued in the memory market” resulting in “robust sales”, the company said in a statement. Operating profits generated from its semiconductor business accounted for over 60 percent of the total, illustrating the major role the division plays to the sprawling group. While the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the world economy, it has helped many tech companies boom. Pandemic-driven working from home has boosted demand for devices powered by Samsung’s chips, as well as home appliances such as televisions and washing machines.

Consumer demand for high-end products such as foldable phones is also expected to further boost profits going into the holiday season, said Loo Wee Teck, global head of consumer electronics at Euromonitor. “Its foldable phones will continue to be Samsung’s