[Concall] Samsung Electronics "Accelerating Transition to Advanced NAND Process"

Samsung Electronics stated during the conference call following the Q3 earnings announcement on the 31st that regarding the lower profitability of the NAND market compared to DRAM, "In this downturn, we have experienced market weakness and profitability decline, which has increased the importance of cost and product competitiveness, the core of our business. We are prioritizing this and aiming to accelerate the transition to advanced processes with V7 and V8."

They also explained, "Having recently received VEU (Verified End User) certification from the U.S. government, the uncertainty regarding process transitions in the Chinese market has been resolved," adding, "The transition to advanced processes will accelerate further in the future."

To strengthen cost and product competitiveness, Samsung Electronics is also enhancing its latest NAND product, the V9 business. The company said, "With our unique etching technology, we have become the first in the world to implement over 160 layers in a single stack and have successfully secured mass production chips of V9 with over 300 layers using only double stacks," explaining, "Based on excellent mass production capability and short lead times, we expect cost competitiveness and market responsiveness to be further strengthened."

They continued, "Demand for on-device AI growth for clients and high-performance, low-power NAND in the server market will increase further in the future, "and we will continue to secure products that meet market demands."

They added, "Although the investment environment is challenging due to unprecedented market weakness, we will continue investing and taking on challenges to secure future technologies and expand competitiveness based on technological capabilities such as performance."

Samsung Electronics announced preliminary consolidated results for the third quarter with sales of 67 trillion KRW and an operating profit of 2.4 trillion KRW, exceeding expectations by more than 2 trillion KRW. The photo was taken on the 11th at Samsung Electronics Seocho Building in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@