On July 7, Samsung announced its preliminary earnings guidance for the second quarter of 2026 (Q2 2026). According to the electronics giant, it expects to post an operating profit of KRW 89.4 trillion (~$58.5 billion) for the April to June 2026 period.Based on its estimated Q2 2026 operating profit, Samsung has become the world’s most profitable company by quarterly operating profit, overtaking Nvidia.Until now, Nvidia held that position after reporting an operating profit of $58.3 billion for the first quarter of 2026 (Q1 2026). With the AI chip giant yet to announce its Q2 2026 earnings, Samsung’s estimated operating profit has surpassed Nvidia’s latest reported quarterly result.Samsung’s profit has surged primarily due to rising memory chip prices. The South Korean tech giant is one of the world’s three largest memory chip manufacturers, and the AI boom has significantly increased demand for the memory chips used in AI servers and accelerators.With demand continuing to outpace supply, memory chip prices have risen sharply over the past year, driving Samsung’s profitability to record highs. The company is expected to provide a detailed breakdown of its financial performance when it releases its full Q2 2026 earnings report later this month.It is also being reported that Samsung Electronics' full-year 2026 profit could be over $217 billion, which would make this year's profit higher than the company's cumulative profit for the past 40 years combined.