Samsung forecasts record quarterly profit amid AI boom
South Korea's Samsung Electronics expects an almost ninefold increase in operating profit for the third quarter of 2026. The company may set a new financial record thanks to surging demand for memory chips used in data centers and artificial intelligence systems.
This is stated in Samsung's preliminary financial forecast, released on October 8.
The company estimates that operating profit for July-September will be 107.4 trillion Korean won (about $80 billion). This is almost 8.8 times more than in the same period in 2025, when the figure was 12.17 trillion won.
Compared to the second quarter of 2026, when Samsung earned 89.49 trillion won in operating profit, growth of about 20% is expected.
Revenue, according to preliminary estimates, will reach 195 trillion won (about $146 billion). This is 127% more than a year earlier and almost 14% higher than the previous quarter.
If the forecast is confirmed, Samsung will set a record operating profit for the fourth consecutive quarter. The expected result also exceeds the consensus forecast of LSEG analysts, who estimated profit at 106.1 trillion won.
The main source of growth was the semiconductor industry. Large-scale construction of AI infrastructure has increased technology companies' need for DRAM, NAND, and high-speed HBM memory.
The latter is used together with powerful graphics processors, in particular Nvidia accelerators, which ensure the training and operation of large artificial intelligence models.
Memory manufacturers are unable to expand capacity in line with demand. Due to the shortage of chips, product prices have increased significantly, boosting profitability for Samsung and its competitors - SK Hynix and Micron.
Samsung is also gradually strengthening its position in the advanced HBM memory market, where it previously lagged behind SK Hynix. Analysts estimate that in the third quarter, Samsung's physical volume of HBM supply could have grown by almost 50% compared to the previous quarter.
At the same time, rising memory prices create problems for Samsung's other business areas. Higher component costs increase the cost of smartphones, TVs, and consumer electronics.
Analysts estimate that Samsung's mobile division may have ended the third quarter with a loss of more than $1 billion. The contract chip manufacturing business also likely remained loss-making due to high fixed costs and insufficient utilization of production facilities.
Despite record financial figures, investors are increasingly assessing the prospects for high memory prices to persist. TrendForce analysts expect contract prices for standard DRAM to rise by 10-15% in the fourth quarter, while in the second quarter their increase was about 60%.
An additional risk to Samsung's profitability has been the strengthening of the Korean won. This reduces the value of the company's overseas income after conversion into the national currency.
The released figures are currently a preliminary estimate, not final financial results. Samsung plans to present a full report with revenue and profit breakdown by business division on October 29.
Source: Samsung Global Newsroom, Reuters
