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According to Forbes' real-time billionaire rankings, Justin Sun surpassed Wang Jianlin with an asset worth $8.5 billion compared to Wang's $4.4 billion.In response, Justin Sun stated, "There are no waves, only awakenings. Wang Jianlin was once the god of versions, just as I was an unbelievable young person. The cruelest part of version updates is that those at the peak are always the last to notice.So if today a young person tells me something I don't understand, or even something I want to mock, I find it hard to have the same confidence as Wang Sicong. I would serve him a cup of tea and listen to him talk about his world. Because arrogance is always the first asset to be liquidated. We can never predict the future, but believing in young people is always right."In 2019, after Justin Sun purchased a charity lunch with Buffett for about 31.54 million yuan, Wang Sicong shared related articles on his social media with a mocking caption.

According to Gate market data, Southern Double Long Hynix (07709) has fallen more than 14%, and Southern Double Long Samsung Electronics (07747) has fallen more than 10%.

According to South Korean media ZDNet Korea, Samsung Electronics' 4nm wafer foundry capacity is fully loaded until next year, mainly driven by a surge in HBM4 orders and unexpected orders for LPU "Grok3" from Nvidia for inference. To address the capacity bottleneck, Samsung is actively recommending the validated 5nm process as an alternative to customers. This process was originally aimed at automotive chips and is now expanding into the server and high-performance AI/NPU chip sectors.The report states that in the recent 3-4 months, demand for 5nm from customers has significantly increased, mainly from Chinese and Indian fabless companies that have shifted due to tight supply of advanced processes from TSMC and geopolitical factors. Additionally, inquiries from customers regarding the 2nm process are also ongoing.

According to South Korea's Digital Daily, Apple has recently negotiated with Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) on the supply prices of mobile DRAM such as LPDDR5X to reduce costs for the next generation of iPhones and smart devices, but was rejected. Changxin Memory insists on maintaining a price level comparable to or even higher than that of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, breaking Apple's usual bargaining advantage as an end manufacturer.The report analyzes that Chinese terminal companies such as Huawei and Xiaomi have locked in a large amount of Changxin Memory's production capacity through long-term high-price contracts, providing a solid price defense line in the domestic market. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are facing reduced supply of general DRAM due to the continuous expansion of HBM capacity, combined with Changxin Memory holding the price floor, significantly alleviating the shipping pressure and price decline risks for Korean manufacturers in the general DRAM sector, allowing them to focus resources on high-value AI storage products such as HBM4, LPCAMM2, and eSSD. Industry insiders expect that in the second half of the year, the operating profit margins of the Korean semiconductor camp and global market pricing power will further strengthen.

According to Reuters, citing three informed sources, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are testing the etching equipment from Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturer AMEC to assess its potential application in their factories in China, aiming to hedge against the risk of the U.S. potentially tightening export controls in the future. The testing began about two years ago, coinciding with rising uncertainty over whether the U.S. would allow Korean companies to import U.S.-made chip equipment to China.The report noted that although no decision has yet been made on large-scale deployment, verification from Samsung or SK Hynix would be an important commercial endorsement for AMEC. The gap in etching, deposition, cleaning, and other areas for Chinese equipment has gradually narrowed, with prices typically 20%-30% lower than similar overseas products. Samsung officially denied having tested AMEC equipment for its factories in China, while SK Hynix declined to comment. Deutsche Bank expects Northern Huachuang, AMEC, Tuojing Technology, and Shengmei Semiconductor to each exceed $1 billion in revenue by 2026, collectively expected to capture 25%-30% of China's approximately $28 billion wafer fabrication equipment market this year.

According to Gate market data, Zhongwei Company's stock price has risen over 10%. Media reports indicate that South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are evaluating chip manufacturing equipment from China's Zhongwei Semiconductor, considering using it in their factories in China.

Analysts say that Samsung is accelerating its layout of digital asset infrastructure, planning to provide native stablecoin functionality to approximately 800 million Galaxy smartphones through Samsung Wallet, which is expected to become an important distribution channel for stablecoins like USDC. It is reported that Samsung announced at the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event that it will integrate stablecoin-related features into future devices, including savings and payment accounts linked to fiat currencies. Currently, Samsung Wallet covers 61 countries, with nearly 19 million users in South Korea.Joseph Goh, head of the Asia-Pacific region for crypto investment bank Areta, stated that the core bottleneck for the widespread adoption of stablecoins is not liquidity, but user accessibility. "Distribution channels are the scarce asset, and Samsung has a large number of user entry points." He believes this move could propel Samsung to become a major distributor of stablecoins like USDC. This is not Samsung's first foray into the crypto space. The company launched a digital asset wallet through the Knox security module back in 2019, supporting users in storing assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, and connecting to Ledger hardware wallets. Additionally, Samsung is strengthening its digital asset infrastructure layout. Samsung SDS CEO Lee Joon-hee previously stated that the company’s investment in Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest crypto exchange Upbit, is an important strategic layout for entering the digital asset infrastructure field, including stablecoins and AI payments. In May of this year, Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS, and Samsung Card agreed to acquire approximately 4% of Dunamu, Upbit's parent company, for about $408 million. Analysts believe that Samsung Wallet is responsible for providing user distribution entry points, while infrastructure layouts like Dunamu are responsible for underlying transactions and asset services, suggesting that Samsung may be building a complete ecosystem covering stablecoins, payments, and digital asset services.

According to Counterpoint Research data, in the second quarter of 2026, the global DRAM market saw Samsung Electronics regain the top position with a 39% market share, significantly rebounding compared to the same period last year; SK Hynix's share fell from 39% in the same period last year to 26%, despite a 214% year-on-year revenue growth; Micron followed closely with a 25% share, only 1 percentage point behind SK Hynix. Counterpoint pointed out that Samsung achieved a rebound driven by the growth in general DRAM demand and the expansion of its share in the HBM sector.General DRAM prices rose significantly month-on-month, while the average price of HBM declined year-on-year due to the drop in HBM3E prices and delays in HBM4 shipments. Changxin Storage saw a 716% year-on-year revenue growth, benefiting from strong domestic general DRAM demand and capacity expansion; Nanya Technology grew by 690% year-on-year, benefiting from the expansion of DDR/LPDDR4/5 supply. Counterpoint predicts that with the shipments of NVIDIA Vera Rubin and AMD Instinct MI455X, HBM4 shipments will significantly increase in the second half of the year, and the improvement in product mix is expected to support a rebound in HBM prices.

Goldman Sachs published a research report stating that Samsung Electronics' operating profit for the second quarter met expectations. The firm raised its earnings per share forecast for 2026 to 2028 by about 2% and increased the 12-month target price from 480,000 won to 490,000 won. The firm expects that demand for memory will significantly exceed supply, with the gap widening in 2027 and supply remaining tight in 2028.Goldman Sachs pointed out that the company has signed long-term agreements with major data center customers, which will provide better profit visibility and downside protection.In addition, the company aims to become a leader in the AI memory market, with HBM4 expected to account for over 60% of HBM revenue in the second half of 2026, and anticipates significant upside potential for shareholder returns. The stock is currently trading at a forecasted price-to-earnings ratio of 3.1 times and a price-to-book ratio of 1.2 times, with a shareholder return rate close to 50%.

Bloomberg data shows that the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) has experienced a volatility of 63% this year, surpassing Bitcoin's 48% during the same period, making it the market with the highest volatility among major national stock indices tracked by Bloomberg. The high volatility in the Korean stock market is mainly due to the excessive concentration of the market. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix together account for over 50% of the KOSPI index weight, making the index's performance highly dependent on the semiconductor sector.In addition, the leverage ETF market dominated by Korean retail investors has further amplified market volatility. The related leveraged ETFs and the two major chip stocks once accounted for over 70% of the daily trading volume in the Korean stock market. Data shows that Korean retail investors have cumulatively purchased over 110 trillion won (approximately 77 billion USD) worth of KOSPI stocks this year, but their behavior of chasing gains and cutting losses has also intensified market fluctuations, turning the Korean stock market into a high-leverage trading market centered around Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

According to Gate market data, the South Korean KOSPI index's decline expanded to 5% in the morning session, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix's declines widening to 8%.

This week, the American ETF management firm Roundhill made significant adjustments to its DRAM-themed fund. In addition to previously reported inclusion of CXMT (Changxin Technology) in its holdings with a weight of 2.52%, it also reduced its position in Samsung Electronics.From Monday to Wednesday, the Roundhill DRAM-themed fund sold approximately 1 million shares of Samsung Electronics each day, totaling 3 million shares over three days, worth about $432 million.The top three holdings of the Roundhill DRAM-themed fund are currently Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology, and SK Hynix, with weights of 26.39%, 24.54%, and 22.77%, respectively. Other major holdings include Seagate Technology, Western Digital, SanDisk, Kioxia, Nanya Technology, and Zhaoyi Innovation.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are accelerating their layout of HBM and next-generation storage technologies to maintain their leading advantage. Samsung Electronics stated that its R&D investment reached a record 16 trillion won (approximately 11.6 billion USD) in the second quarter and plans to expand its layout of high-end storage products such as HBM4, HBM4E, and DDR5.SK Hynix is developing next-generation technologies such as HBM5, hybrid bonding, and iHBM, with capital expenditures expected to reach 40 trillion won (approximately 32.6 billion USD) this year.

Samsung SDS stated in its earnings call that its strategic investment in the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Dunamu is a "strategic layout for entering the digital asset infrastructure business." Both parties are discussing cooperation on stablecoin infrastructure, next-generation AI payments, and virtual asset financial system integration (SI). Samsung SDS President Lee Joon-hee mentioned that they will combine Dunamu's blockchain operation experience with Samsung SDS's capabilities in IT services, AI, cloud computing, and security to strengthen the digital financial infrastructure business.The earnings report disclosed on the same day showed that Samsung SDS's revenue for the second quarter was 3.7178 trillion won (approximately 2.6 billion USD), a year-on-year increase of 5.9%; operating profit was 231.8 billion won (approximately 160 million USD), a year-on-year increase of 0.7%. Among them, the cloud computing business revenue was 779.4 billion won, a year-on-year increase of 17%, with external cloud computing business revenue surging 75% year-on-year. The company plans to expand its AI infrastructure from the current 110MW to 230MW by 2029, and further expand to over 800MW by 2031. Samsung SDS previously announced an investment of approximately 20 billion won in Dunamu in May 2024.

The founder of TRON, Justin Sun, delivered a video keynote speech at Malaysia Blockchain Week 2026. He stated that DeFi, TradFi, and AI are accelerating their integration through the same assets, payment channels, and user groups. The future of finance will be a connected system operated collaboratively by institutions, open blockchain networks, and AI, and the infrastructure capabilities of TRON will become an important cornerstone supporting this transformation.Justin Sun pointed out that the scale and efficiency of TRON make it naturally suitable for AI agent payment scenarios. The B.AI and Bank of AI within the ecosystem have already endowed AI agents with independent identities and autonomous trading capabilities, with the number of B.AI users exceeding 2 million. He also responded to industry compliance concerns by highlighting the achievement of T3 FCU freezing approximately $450 million in illegal assets, stating that TRON's goal is to build a bridge between humanity and AI, local markets and global liquidity, providing open infrastructure for the next generation of value flow and inclusive finance.Malaysia Blockchain Week 2026 was held from July 29 to 30 at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Center and is one of the most anticipated Web3 events in Southeast Asia. This event brought together global policymakers, industry leaders, developers, and investors to discuss the future evolution of blockchain, digital assets, and emerging technologies.

According to Jinshi News, Samsung Electronics expects that the chip shortage situation will further worsen next year and continue until 2028. The company stated that it is difficult to significantly increase supply in the short term, as it takes more than 3 years and 6 months from the construction of new production facilities to actual wafer production.Samsung Electronics pointed out that the popularity of AI is driving a surge in memory demand, especially as the memory demand for AI servers and general computing servers reaches unprecedented levels.

Samsung Electronics released its Q2 2026 financial report, with revenue of 171.5 trillion Korean won (approximately $118.8 billion), a year-on-year increase of 130%, and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 28%, setting a new record for a single quarter; operating profit was 89.5 trillion Korean won (approximately $62 billion), a year-on-year increase of 1813.8%, and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 56.4%, exceeding market expectations by about 5%; net profit was 71.62 trillion Korean won (approximately $49.6 billion), a staggering year-on-year increase of 1299.9%. Earnings per share were 10,849 won, a year-on-year increase of 52%.The Device Solutions (DS) division reported revenue of 127.5 trillion Korean won, with operating profit of 89.2 trillion Korean won, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 56%, driven by demand for AI server memory, with both revenue and profit reaching historical highs. HBM4 has been mass-produced and shipped, and HBM4E samples have been delivered to major customers. The Device Experience (DX) division saw a quarter-on-quarter revenue decline of 9%, with the MX business affected by component cost pressures, reporting revenue of 33.2 trillion Korean won and an operating loss of 0.7 trillion Korean won.Samsung expects strong demand for server DRAM, eSSD, and HBM to continue in the second half of the year, with a tight market supply situation persisting, although demand in the mobile and PC sectors may see some slowdown. The company plans to expand sales of high-value-added products such as HBM4, DDR5, and SOCAMM2, and to mass-produce new mobile products using the second-generation 2nm process, aiming for double-digit revenue growth in its foundry business.

According to Jinshi reports, Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division reported that its profits have increased by more than 250 times due to the reliance of artificial intelligence on memory. The division's operating profit for the second quarter was 89.2 trillion won (approximately 62 billion USD), exceeding analysts' average expectation of 79.3 trillion won.The group's overall net profit was 71.3 trillion won, also surpassing market expectations.

According to Jinshi reports, Samsung Electronics stated that the depreciation of the Korean won had a positive impact of 3.1 trillion won in the second quarter.