AI chip demand lifts Samsung profit to a record $80 billion

On October 8, 2026, BBC News reported that AI chip demand had driven Samsung's profit to a record $80 billion, adding that the company's latest folding devices, launched in August, were also expected to contribute.

The same day, IT之家 cited a Reuters report with more specific numbers: Samsung Electronics expects third-quarter operating profit of KRW 107.4 trillion, nearly nine times the year-earlier figure, which would make it the first technology company to clear KRW 100 trillion in a single quarter. That forecast is slightly above the KRW 106.1 trillion estimate from LSEG SmartEstimate. Samsung expects quarterly revenue to grow 127% year on year to KRW 195 trillion. Reuters tied the gain to strong AI chip demand lifting memory chip sales, noting that memory prices have been rising for more than a year and that margins at Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron have all reached record highs, while the slowing pace of those price increases is drawing close investor attention. The two reports describe the same quarter's profit in different units — one in US dollars, the other in Korean won — and neither reconciles the two figures.

The record profit outlook did little for the share price: Samsung stock fell 0.2% in early trading while the KOSPI was down 0.5%. With investors worried that the AI boom may not last, the shares sit more than 25% below the record high reached in June.