Samsung Electronics is set to report a sharp rise in quarterly earnings, driven by strong demand for chips used in artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company expects its third-quarter operating profit to reach 107.4 trillion Korean won ($80.17 billion). If achieved, the figure would mark a record for a major technology company.
Samsung’s Q3 profit forecast represents nearly a nine-fold increase from the same period last year. The company also expects third-quarter revenue to rise 127% year-over-year to 195 trillion Korean won. The strong outlook reflects the growing demand for memory chips as companies continue to expand AI data centers.
Key Highlights:
- Q3 operating profit forecast at $80.17 billion
- Revenue expected to rise 127% year-over-year
- HBM shipments estimated to increase nearly 50% quarter-over-quarter
Samsung Q3 Profit Outlook Beats Market Expectations
Samsung’s estimated operating profit for the July-September quarter is above the LSEG SmartEstimate of 106.1 trillion Korean won, Reuters reported. The forecast would also extend Samsung’s record operating profit streak to a fourth consecutive quarter.
In the previous quarter, Samsung reported record revenue of 171.5 trillion Korean won and operating profit of 89.5 trillion won. Its memory business remained a key growth driver as AI server demand boosted sales of DRAM and NAND chips.
The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created tight semiconductor supplies and pushed memory chip prices higher. Samsung has increasingly highlighted AI server demand as a major growth opportunity for its memory business.
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Douglas Kim of Douglas Research Advisory estimated that Samsung’s high-bandwidth memory (HBM) bit shipments increased by nearly 50% quarter-over-quarter during the third quarter, Reuters reported. However, SK Hynix continues to lead the key AI memory market.
Samsung’s strong forecast comes as other major South Korean companies also begin releasing their earnings previews. The company is scheduled to release its detailed third-quarter results on October 29.
Despite the strong memory business, analysts expect weakness in some other operations. Samsung’s mobile business is estimated to have posted a loss of more than $1 billion during the quarter. Its foundry business is also expected to remain under pressure from fixed costs and low utilization rates.
Samsung Ramps Up AI Infrastructure Investments
Samsung expects the current chip supply crunch to continue until 2028 as investment in AI infrastructure continues to outpace supply growth. Higher demand for advanced chips has also supported pricing across the memory market.
The company’s latest earnings outlook comes shortly after Samsung announced a $1 billion investment in AI infrastructure company Helix. Samsung joined KKR, the Kuwait Investment Authority, NVIDIA, and US power company Vistra as a founding investor in the newly launched company.
Samsung said AI data centers are evolving beyond traditional facilities into broader business platforms. These include GPU-as-a-Service, Sovereign AI, and colocation services. The company also said the rapid growth of AI data centers is creating demand across power generation, cooling, semiconductors, and finance. Samsung aims to use its hardware and component expertise to play a larger role in the wider AI infrastructure ecosystem.
In September, Samsung also partnered with French AI startup Mistral AI. The partnership came as Mistral AI raised 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) in a funding round. For Samsung, the AI boom is therefore creating opportunities beyond traditional memory chip sales. Its investments across AI infrastructure could help the company strengthen its position as demand for advanced computing continues to grow.
