SEOUL, October 8, 2026: Samsung Electronics has projected third-quarter operating profit of approximately 107.4 trillion won, nearly nine times the level recorded a year earlier, as demand for memory chips used in artificial-intelligence infrastructure continues to support earnings.
The South Korean company said in its official third-quarter earnings guidance that consolidated revenue is estimated at 195 trillion won for the July–September period. The operating-profit figure compares with 12.17 trillion won in the third quarter of 2025, while revenue compares with 86.06 trillion won a year earlier.
The numbers are preliminary guidance, not final audited results. Samsung expects to publish its detailed third-quarter earnings on October 29, according to Reuters.
Samsung’s guidance places operating profit at approximately 107.4 trillion won, or around $80 billion at the exchange rate used by Reuters, and revenue at about 195 trillion won. Operating profit is about 783% higher than the comparable year-earlier figure, while sales have more than doubled.
The company said the figures are prepared under Korean International Financial Reporting Standards. Its guidance gives a sales estimate range of 194 trillion to 196 trillion won and an operating-profit estimate range of 107.3 trillion to 107.5 trillion won, with the midpoint used as the reported figure.
Reuters reported that the operating-profit projection was above the 106.1 trillion won LSEG Smart estimate, although market forecasts vary by provider and methodology. These are group-wide estimates; the company has not yet released a full segment-level earnings breakdown.
Demand for memory used in data centres and AI accelerators has been a key driver of semiconductor pricing and manufacturer earnings. High-bandwidth memory, or HBM, is designed to move large volumes of data rapidly between memory and processors, making it important for AI training and inference systems.
Reuters reported that tight supplies of conventional DRAM and NAND memory, alongside demand for HBM, have contributed to higher chip prices. The company is a major supplier in the global memory market, which also includes SK Hynix and Micron.
Analysts cited by Reuters expect supply constraints to persist into 2027, but that remains a forecast rather than a guaranteed market outcome. Chip prices and earnings can change with manufacturing capacity, AI investment budgets and the broader economic cycle.
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Strong memory-chip profits do not necessarily mean every part of Samsung’s business is benefiting equally. Higher component prices can also raise costs for smartphones, laptops and other consumer electronics that rely on DRAM and storage.
Reuters noted that Samsung’s smartphone and consumer-electronics businesses face pressure from more expensive components. Without a detailed segment report, however, it would be premature to assign a specific profit or loss to those divisions for the quarter.
For Indian buyers and manufacturers, the figures matter because the global memory market affects the cost of components used in phones, personal computers, servers and data centres. A change in wholesale memory prices does not translate automatically or immediately into an equivalent retail-price increase.
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Samsung’s full earnings release is expected to clarify how much of the increase came from its memory operations, what happened to margins in mobile and consumer electronics, and whether the company sees current demand continuing. Investors will also be watching commentary on HBM production and the pace of new capacity.
The early figures show how AI infrastructure spending is affecting one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers. They do not establish that the same rate of profit growth will continue in future quarters.
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Sources: Samsung Electronics, Third-Quarter 2026 Earnings Guidance