An employee of Samsung Electronics shows the world's first 30-nanometer 64-gigabit NAND flash memory device. Photo: AFP/Kim Jae-hwan
An employee of Samsung Electronics shows the world's first 30-nanometer 64-gigabit NAND flash memory device. Photo: AFP/Kim Jae-hwan

As Intel’s traditional PC processor market continues to shrink, and demand for flash memory chips increases, Samsung is expected to dethrone Intel as biggest chipmaker when they release quarterly profits in the coming days, reports the Financial Times.

Capacity shortages for flash memory chips have driven up prices, and Samsung’s anticipated second quarter semiconductor revenue of US$15 billion will likely beat out Intel’s projected US$14.4 billion.

The Korean conglomerate may also surpass Apple in terms of operating profit, with a projected US$12.1 billion, well ahead of Apple’s expected US$10.5 billion. Apple is set to report next Tuesday.