Samsung reports Q3 operating profit up ~783% to 107.4 trillion won, narrowly beating estimates on AI memory demand
What happened
Samsung Electronics projected a 783% jump in third-quarter operating profit from a year earlier, beating analysts' estimates, as booming demand for artificial-intelligence chips drove strong memory earnings. The world's largest memory chipmaker estimated an operating profit of 107.4 trillion won ($80.17 billion) for the July-September period, compared with an LSEG SmartEstimate of 106.1 trillion won, according to a regulatory filing. Third-quarter revenue is expected to rise 127% to 195 trillion won from a year earlier. The company said prices have soared due to tight supply of conventional DRAM and NAND chips as well as growing demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), and that the supply gap is expected to persist into 2027. Samsung will release detailed results, including a division breakdown, later this month.
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Who’s affected
- Micron Technology (MU) — read-through on DRAM/NAND pricing and AI-driven memory demand; shares edged higher overnight
- Sandisk (SNDK) — NAND flash exposure; moved overnight on Samsung read-through
- SK Hynix (000660.KS) — primary competitor in DRAM/HBM; sector peer
- Nvidia (NVDA) — HBM is essential input for AI accelerators; memory tightness affects GPU supply/pricing dynamics
- Semiconductor/memory sector broadly — reinforces shortage-into-2027 narrative
Sources