Samsung Q3 2026 profit hits a record 107.4 trillion won (about Rs 22 trillion) on AI chip demand

Samsung Electronics made a record operating profit of 107.4 trillion won (about $80 billion) in the July to September quarter, up from 12.2 trillion won a year earlier, nearly nine times as much, on strong demand for chips used in artificial intelligence, Business Recorder reported from Reuters on Thursday. The figure matched the company's own preliminary estimate.

The numbers

The rupee figure uses today's interbank rate of about Rs 276.77 to the dollar; you can convert any amount with our currency converter or check the dollar rate page.

Shares fell anyway

The record was not enough for investors. Samsung's shares fell more than 5% on Thursday because its chip division's profit, up 15-fold to 106.5 trillion won, came in below the analysts' average forecast of 108.5 trillion won, CoinDesk reported. Samsung also expects to spend 84.4 trillion won (about $63 billion) on capital investment in 2026, up roughly 60%. South Korea's Kospi fell more than 2%, and the sell-off spread to Nasdaq futures and to bitcoin (our story).

Why it matters

AI data centres need huge amounts of memory, and Samsung and its Korean rival SK Hynix are two of the biggest suppliers. SK Hynix reported a record profit on Wednesday with an upbeat outlook (our story), which eased worries that AI chip earnings were losing momentum. Investors remain wary of how long AI spending can last: earlier this month the KOSPI fell 5.9% in one day on a chip rout (our story).

For phone buyers in Pakistan

The memory squeeze that is making Samsung rich is also why phone and laptop prices have kept rising: the same chips go into smartphones. Samsung sells its Galaxy range in Pakistan through official partners, including instalment deals with Jazz (our story).