Samsung Tops Global Profit Rankings on HBM4, Beating Nvidia and Apple

*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "artificial intelligence (AI)-based customized news recommendation and summary service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.

1. Samsung: "Q3 HBM4 Revenue to Triple"…Memory Shortage to Deepen Further

- Key Summary: Samsung Electronics posted second-quarter consolidated revenue of 171.4995 trillion won and operating profit of 89.4924 trillion won, taking the top spot in operating profit among global companies, surpassing Nvidia ($52.5 billion) and Apple ($50.9 billion). The semiconductor (DS) division accounted for 99.7% of total profit, with expanded supply of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM), HBM4, and sample shipments of seventh-generation HBM4E driving the results. Samsung Electronics has signed long-term agreements (LTAs) with five big tech firms including Amazon and Meta, allocating up to 70% of its production capacity. Kim Jae-jun, head of the strategic marketing office at Samsung Electronics' memory business division, forecast that third-quarter HBM4 revenue would increase more than threefold from the previous quarter. On the other hand, the device experience (DX) division, which handles mobile and TV, recorded its first operating loss of 800 billion won since integration, due to the impact of surging semiconductor prices (chipflation).

2. Unstoppable CXMT Effect…Shakes Share Prices of SK hynix and Micron

- Key Summary: China's DRAM manufacturer Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) saw its share price surge 466% on its listing debut on the 27th, recording a market capitalization of 3.3 trillion yuan (about 701 trillion won). As a result, the Nasdaq 100 index fell about 10% from its June high, and the KOSPI, which has a high weighting of SK hynix and Samsung Electronics, slid about 40% over one month, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The news that Apple is testing CXMT chips drew attention, along with China's development of penetrating deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography equipment and the release of the open-weight AI model 'Kimi K3.' The Financial Times (FT) of the U.K. analyzed that while SK hynix shares have plunged 50% over the past five weeks, its price-to-earnings ratio (PER) against expected earnings two years out is undervalued at less than three times.

3. Hanwha Group Accelerates "Three Brothers' Separation"…Kim Dong-kwan to Vice Chairman

- Key Summary: Hanwha Group announced management appointments promoting the three third-generation owner brothers—Kim Dong-kwan, Kim Dong-won, and Kim Dong-seon—simultaneously, effective August 1. Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan was elevated to Senior Vice Chairman, Kim Dong-won, president of Hanwha Life Insurance (088350.KS), to Vice Chairman, and Kim Dong-seon, executive vice president of Hanwha Vision (489790.KS), to President. Along with these, new CEO appointments were also announced at five affiliates including Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS), Hanwha Systems (272210.KS), Hanwha Impact, Hanwha Asset Management, and Hanwha Semitech. Hanwha Group explained that it "selected personnel optimized for executing strategic tasks for the management stabilization and mid-to-long-term growth of each company."

4. KT Breached Through Illegal Base Stations, Fined 54 Billion Won for Data Breach

- Key Summary: The Personal Information Protection Commission imposed a fine of 53.979 billion won on KT in connection with a personal data breach and unauthorized micropayments that exploited illegal small-scale base stations (femtocells). Hackers used certificates extracted from lost femtocells to access KT's mobile network without authorization, leaking the personal information of 16,647 users and carrying out about 240 million won worth of unauthorized micropayments against 368 people. During the investigation, it emerged that KT had recognized a server hacking incident in 2024 but failed to report it and deleted logs to cover it up, prompting the commission to file a criminal complaint against KT. LG Uplus was also confirmed to have obstructed the investigation and was referred to investigative authorities on charges of obstruction of official duties.

5. Chairman Euisun Chung Visits Brazil "Overcoming China's Offensive with Eco-Friendly Vehicles and Hydrogen"

- Key Summary: Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung personally visited the research and development (R&D) center and production plant in Piracicaba, São Paulo state, Brazil, to review local business strategy. Brazil is the world's sixth-largest automobile market with annual vehicle demand reaching 2.5 million units, where China's BYD has acquired a former Ford plant and strengthened its offensive, pushing its sales ranking up to fourth. In response, Hyundai Motor Group decided to expand its hydrogen mobility business, including the development of flex-fuel hybrid vehicle (FFV-HEV) powertrains that use both gasoline and ethanol, and the supply of hydrogen commercial vehicles and hydrogen trams. Chairman Euisun Chung said, "We will actively support at the company-wide level so that we can achieve a greater leap forward in Brazil."

6. Said to Offer 830 Million Won Starting Salary…This Company Now Introducing 'Half-Day In-Depth Interviews'

- Key Summary: SK hynix will conduct open recruitment of new employees from the 20th to the 26th of next month, introducing a "half-day in-depth interview" combining assignments and interviews over half a day, instead of the previous 20-to-30-minute interviews. As the profit-sharing (PS) expansion driven by the AI semiconductor boom is estimated to push the pre-tax salary of 2026 new employees to about 830 million won, the company explained that a talent selection method befitting such exceptional compensation had become necessary. The company abolished cover letters and switched to an application form in which applicants directly describe their AI usage experience and job competencies, and it plans to hold an 'AI Hackathon' in the fourth quarter to offer outstanding participants interview opportunities without a document screening. An SK hynix official said, "We will secure AI talent with the power to think, and continue our technological leadership in the global AI semiconductor market."