Samsung posts record Q3 operating profit on AI memory demand, at over $80 billion

Samsung Electronics confirmed in Seoul on October 29 that operating profit for the third quarter of 2026 (July to September) reached 107.4 trillion won, about $80.04 billion, nearly nine times the 12.2 trillion won reported a year earlier. The result is a company quarterly record and matches the preliminary estimate issued in early October.

The numbers

Revenue was 195.25 trillion won, up about 127% from a year earlier, while net profit was 75.15 trillion won, up about 515%. The board also approved a third-quarter cash dividend of 30 trillion won, or 4,601 won per share.

Memory led the result

The Device Solutions division, which houses the semiconductor business, reported revenue of 147.1 trillion won and operating profit of 106.5 trillion won, accounting for most of the group's profit. Samsung said demand for memory chips fueling the artificial-intelligence boom, driven by heavy spending from hyperscalers on AI infrastructure, is pushing up memory prices and tightening global supply.

Shortage may deepen next year

Samsung said the chip supply shortage would deepen next year. That outlook echoed crosstown rival SK Hynix, which reported strong earnings on October 28 and forecast sustained demand, a message that helped ease concerns that AI chip earnings could lose momentum and lifted shares in both companies.

Investors still cautious

Investors remain wary about how durable AI spending will prove: whether the current earnings peak can hold depends on whether AI infrastructure investment keeps expanding at the same pace, and on how memory prices and supply tightness evolve.