Samsung Electronics forecast third-quarter operating profit of 107.4 trillion won, about $80.2 billion, as demand for memory chips used in artificial-intelligence infrastructure strengthened. The preliminary figure, disclosed Thursday, would be the company’s first quarterly operating profit above 100 trillion won. It is also a sharp increase from the year-earlier quarter, though Samsung shares fell 0.7% on Thursday morning.
A historic forecast, not final results
The projected operating profit is 782% higher than in the same period last year. Samsung also forecast revenue of about 195 trillion won, an increase of nearly 127% year on year. Both figures are preliminary: the company is expected to publish its complete third-quarter results, including a breakdown by business division, later this month.
The forecast marks a substantial rise from the previous quarter. In the second quarter, Samsung reported record revenue of 171.5 trillion won and record operating profit of 89.5 trillion won, with its memory business helping drive the results. The third-quarter estimate would exceed that operating-profit record by a wide margin.
AI demand is lifting the memory business
Samsung linked its stronger outlook to demand for chips used in AI infrastructure. Memory is essential to the systems that process and store information for AI applications, making chip supply and availability central to the build-out. The company’s forecast therefore points to the importance of its chip business in converting increased AI investment into earnings.
Demand is also evolving beyond conventional chatbots. Josh Gilbert, eToro’s lead analyst for APAC, said the expansion of AI agents could raise memory needs because these systems may use substantially more memory than a chatbot responding to one question. His comments describe a potential source of continued demand, rather than a guarantee of future results.
Supply commitments may improve visibility
Gilbert also pointed to multiyear supply agreements from memory buyers. Such commitments can give Samsung clearer visibility into demand over a longer period, in a business where investors have historically been concerned about the possibility of a downturn. The source material does not specify the agreements’ size or duration beyond describing them as multiyear.
That longer-term visibility matters because strong orders and constrained supply can support chipmakers, while expectations can also rise quickly during an AI investment boom. Gilbert said Samsung had delivered a record profit but still fallen short of expectations, illustrating why investors may judge results against demanding forecasts as well as against earlier company records.
Market reaction and the next report
Samsung shares were down 0.7% on Thursday morning despite the projected record. The move shows that a large profit forecast does not automatically translate into a share-price gain when expectations are high. The available information does not identify a single reason for the decline, so the market reaction should not be treated as proof that investors reject the company’s AI outlook.
The full third-quarter release later this month will provide the next important detail: results by business division. That breakdown will help show how much of the projected 107.4 trillion won operating profit came from chips and how the other parts of Samsung’s business performed. Until then, the headline figures remain preliminary rather than a complete account of the quarter.
Samsung is expanding its AI ties
The company has also been building partnerships around AI. In September, Samsung announced a strategic partnership with French AI startup Mistral AI, with plans to deploy Mistral’s models across Samsung’s semiconductor operations. The arrangement connects AI software with the company’s chip activities, although no financial contribution from the partnership was given in the material.
Together, the projected results and the September partnership show two strands of Samsung’s AI strategy: supplying memory for AI infrastructure and applying AI models within its own semiconductor operations. The forecast gives investors a striking measure of current momentum; the forthcoming division-level results will clarify how broadly that momentum is reflected across the business.
Takeaway: Samsung’s preliminary 107.4 trillion won profit forecast ties a historic quarterly result to stronger AI-related memory demand, with the full business breakdown still to come.
References
- TokenPost — “Samsung Forecasts Record $80 Billion Profit as AI Chip Demand Surges”
- cnbc.com — “Samsung forecasts record third-quarter profit of $80 billion on the back of AI boom”
- srnnews.com — “Samsung flags $80 billion profit on AI boom, highest quarterly for any tech company – SRN News”
- Reuters — “Samsung flags $80 billion profit on AI boom, highest quarterly for any tech company”
- Morningstar — “Samsung Sees Operating Profit Topping $80 Billion Amid AI Boom”
