Industry & Investment•5h AI-generated

Samsung guides record Q3 profit of 107.4tn won on AI memory demand

Samsung Electronics said in preliminary guidance released on Oct. 7 that third-quarter operating profit should reach 107.4 trillion won (about $80bn), up roughly 783% from a year earlier and above 100 trillion won for the first time, marking a fourth straight record quarter; revenue is estimated at 195 trillion won, up 127% year on year. The company attributes the gains to AI data-centre demand for DRAM, NAND and high-bandwidth memory, though one report said the figure still fell just shy of expectations inflated by the AI buildout. Full results are due Oct. 29, with the mobile and foundry units expected to stay in the red and a stronger won and slowing memory price increases cited as risks. Why it matters: Samsung's record profit is a direct read on still-elevated AI infrastructure spending, while questions about the durability of memory pricing shape expectations across the AI hardware supply chain. What do you think?