Samsung SDI posts earnings surprise, returns to profit after 7 quarters

Samsung SDI delivered a major earnings surprise in the second quarter, returning to operating profit for the first time in seven quarters as surging demand for AI data center batteries drove a faster-than-expected turnaround.

LG Energy Solution also swung to an operating profit in the second quarter, underscoring the growing importance of energy storage systems (ESS) as rising power demand and massive investment in AI infrastructure offset sluggish electric vehicle (EV) demand.

Samsung SDI said Thursday that it posted an operating profit of 203.8 billion won ($140 million) in the April-June period, reversing an operating loss of 290.2 billion won a year earlier.

The result significantly exceeded market expectations, with analysts largely expecting the company to remain in the red until the second half of the year.

Revenue rose 18.5 percent year-on-year to 3.77 trillion won, while net profit reached 471.6 billion won, up 740.5 percent from the previous quarter.

Its cumulative operating profit reached 48.2 billion won in the first half, putting the company ahead of its turnaround schedule ...