South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted record profits in the third quarter of this year, driven by strong demand for advanced AI chips.
According to the company's quarterly report released Thursday, its third-quarter operating profit reached 107.4 trillion won ($80.6 billion), up 783% year-on-year. Its revenue jumped 127% to 195.3 trillion won ($146.4 billion).
With the strong quarterly results, Samsung said it has become the world's first tech company to top 100 trillion won ($74.8 billion) in quarterly operating profit.
The results were primarily driven by the company's semiconductor business. Its semiconductor operating profit surged 72% to 106.5 trillion won ($79.7 billion), accounting for the majority of the firm's total profit.
Samsung said its memory business "achieved another record-breaking quarter" by focusing on AI-related products amid capacity constraints.
"Strong demand momentum for servers led to higher market prices across all applications," the company said, adding that it saw continued robust demand for AI applications.
Despite the record earnings, Samsung shares closed down 4.13% at 232,000 won ($173.6) on Thursday.
2027 outlook
The tech conglomerate said its high-bandwidth memory supply has been sold out for 2027, and key clients have requested additional chips for AI data centers.
Samsung expects AI infrastructure capital expenditure to reach a historic level in 2027, saying that "increasing AI-driven demand will far exceed the industry supply in comparison with 2026."
Meanwhile, the company disclosed a Q3 cash dividend of 4,601 won ($3.4) per common and preferred share, totaling 30 trillion won ($22.4 billion).
It previously estimated that its total shareholder returns for 2026 would reach 90 trillion won ($67.3 billion) to 110 trillion won ($82.3 billion). With 35 trillion won already planned or distributed, the company said the remaining funds would likely fall under the range of 55 trillion won ($41.1 billion) to 75 trillion won ($56.1 billion).