Samsung Electronics is expected to report a nearly nine-fold jump in third-quarter operating profit, to 106.1 trillion won ($79.1 billion) from 12.17 trillion won a year earlier, Reuters reported Wednesday, in what would be the fourth straight quarterly record as AI infrastructure demand outstrips memory supply growth. The LSEG SmartEstimate, based on forecasts from 21 analysts weighted toward the strongest track records, has nonetheless been cut 7.7 percent since the end of August on slowing memory price gains and a won that strengthened 14.3 percent in the quarter, its biggest quarterly gain since early 1998. Samsung issues preliminary Q3 results Thursday, with detailed figures later in October. TrendForce expects fourth-quarter conventional DRAM contract prices to rise only 10 to 15 percent, slowing sharply from the second quarter’s roughly 60 percent surge, while Samsung is gaining HBM4 ground on SK Hynix and J.P. Morgan estimates its HBM market share rises to 34 percent this year from 20 percent last year.
Samsung on track for fourth straight record quarter on AI memory
Samsung is expected to post third-quarter operating profit of 106.1 trillion won ($79.1 billion), a nearly nine-fold jump from a year earlier, in what would be its fourth consecutive record quarter on AI-driven memory demand.
Why it matters: The consensus points to a prolonged memory shortage stretching into 2028, but analysts cutting estimates by nearly 8 percent since August are asking whether chip margins have already peaked.
Data as of Reuters consensus reporting, October 7, 2026. Figures are the LSEG SmartEstimate of analyst forecasts, not reported results. Single-sourced; Samsung issues preliminary Q3 numbers Thursday.
Sources
- Samsung's Q3 profit seen jumping nine-fold, but chip margins may be flat · BusinessWorld Online (Reuters) · 2026-10-07