<p>South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics forecast a 53.37 per cent rise in second-quarter operating profit Wednesday, thanks to strong chip prices and operations resuming at a key US factory after a shutdown.</p>.<p>The world's biggest smartphone maker said in an earnings estimate that it expected operating profit of around 12.5 trillion won ($11 billion) for April to June, up from 8.15 trillion won a year earlier.</p>.<p>Samsung Electronics is the flagship subsidiary of the giant Samsung group, by far the largest of the family-controlled empires known as chaebols that dominate business in the South, the world's 12th largest economy.</p>.<p>The conglomerate's overall turnover is equivalent to a fifth of the national gross domestic product.</p>.<p>The coronavirus has wreaked havoc with the world economy, with lockdowns and travel bans imposed around the globe for many months.</p>.<p>But the pandemic -- which has killed around four million people worldwide -- has also seen many tech companies boom.</p>.<p>Coronavirus-driven working from home has boosted demand for devices powered by Samsung's chips, as well as home appliances such as TVs and washing machines.</p>.<p>Analysts say the company has had a particular boost from memory chip price hikes.</p>.<p>Taipei-based market researcher TrendForce last month expected prices of memory chips, especially DRAM -- widely used in servers and mobile phones -- to rise through the third quarter of this year as the "severe undersupply situation persists".</p>.<p>Samsung's earnings "will remain solid, mostly due to increased demand for memory chips, rising DRAM prices," Tom Kang, a research director at market researcher Counterpoint, told AFP.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics forecast a 53.37 per cent rise in second-quarter operating profit Wednesday, thanks to strong chip prices and operations resuming at a key US factory after a shutdown.</p>.<p>The world's biggest smartphone maker said in an earnings estimate that it expected operating profit of around 12.5 trillion won ($11 billion) for April to June, up from 8.15 trillion won a year earlier.</p>.<p>Samsung Electronics is the flagship subsidiary of the giant Samsung group, by far the largest of the family-controlled empires known as chaebols that dominate business in the South, the world's 12th largest economy.</p>.<p>The conglomerate's overall turnover is equivalent to a fifth of the national gross domestic product.</p>.<p>The coronavirus has wreaked havoc with the world economy, with lockdowns and travel bans imposed around the globe for many months.</p>.<p>But the pandemic -- which has killed around four million people worldwide -- has also seen many tech companies boom.</p>.<p>Coronavirus-driven working from home has boosted demand for devices powered by Samsung's chips, as well as home appliances such as TVs and washing machines.</p>.<p>Analysts say the company has had a particular boost from memory chip price hikes.</p>.<p>Taipei-based market researcher TrendForce last month expected prices of memory chips, especially DRAM -- widely used in servers and mobile phones -- to rise through the third quarter of this year as the "severe undersupply situation persists".</p>.<p>Samsung's earnings "will remain solid, mostly due to increased demand for memory chips, rising DRAM prices," Tom Kang, a research director at market researcher Counterpoint, told AFP.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH latest videos:</strong></p>