Samsung Electronics recently reported a staggering 19-fold increase in its second-quarter operating profit, a massive financial rebound fueled by the insatiable global demand for AI-focused memory chips. With an estimated profit of 89.4 trillion won, the company comfortably outperformed market forecasts and surpassed its total earnings from the previous three years. While this growth was largely driven by record-high prices for DRAM and NAND chips—thanks to the rapid expansion of AI data centers—the news failed to cheer investors.

Instead of a celebration, the announcement triggered a sharp sell-off, with Samsung’s shares falling over 10% as market sentiment soured. Investors are becoming increasingly anxious that the current AI boom may be losing steam, fearing that major U.S. tech firms could soon taper their infrastructure spending. Analysts point out that while Samsung’s underlying performance remains strong, expectations had become perhaps too lofty; even with the company paying out substantial employee bonuses, the market seems more focused on the potential for slowing growth in the semiconductor sector rather than the impressive quarterly figures just released.