Samsung posts record Q3 profit above ₩100 trillion on AI memory

Samsung said AI memory demand drove third-quarter revenue of KRW 195.3 trillion and operating profit of KRW 107.4 trillion, up 14% and 20% quarter over quarter, making it the first tech company to top KRW 100 trillion in quarterly operating profit. HBM4 sales more than tripled sequentially and accounted for 60% of HBM revenue, while full-year capex is guided at KRW 84.4 trillion, mostly for memory fabs and its Taylor, Texas plant. The company expects AI infrastructure demand to keep memory supply tight through 2028.

Samsung Electronics said on its Q3 2026 earnings call that its 2027 HBM capacity is sold out at agreed target prices, and it expects overall DRAM supply to stay tight through 2028. HBM4 sales more than tripled quarter over quarter and now account for 60% of the company's total HBM revenue. Samsung has signed long-term agreements with 10 customers and aims to lock in 60-70% of output through multi-year contracts.

Samsung expects capital spending to rise about 60% this year to roughly $63 billion, Bloomberg reports, with HBM capacity sold out through 2027. The company says it has secured 10 long-term supply deals with key customers, signaling that high-end memory stays tight for years.

Samsung Electronics reported record revenue of 195.3 trillion won (about $146 billion) for the July-September quarter, according to ETtech, marking its fourth consecutive quarter of record profit and revenue. The report attributes the results to chip demand driven by the AI boom.

Samsung Electronics posted Q3 revenue of KRW 195.25 trillion and operating profit of KRW 107.44 trillion, both fourth straight record highs, with the semiconductor division contributing nearly all of the profit. Memory sales jumped 427% year over year on HBM4 ramp-up, server SSD demand and higher prices, while net profit of KRW 75.21 trillion fell short of estimates.