Samsung reports record $9.7 billion profit, buoyed by a 'memory super cycle'

First, the numbers - Samsung made $12.7 billion of operating income and $9.7 billion of pure profit last quarter, the highest in the company's history. That's net income of about 18% on $54.8 billion of revenue, and a very healthy margin for a company that is in the fickle consumer electronics business. That's not the division where most of the profit originated, though, but rather Samsung logged a stellar quarter because of growing demand for its memory chips, OLED display panels, and other humble components it has been building capacity for in the last decade or so. Even with the company's head Lee Jae-yong awaiting bribery trial in detention, Samsung still managed to revamp its inner workings enough to satisfy all demand for its wares.