Samsung Electronics ushers in the era of 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit... a first among the world’s tech companies

[Financial News] Samsung Electronics recorded operating profit of 107.4 trillion won in the third quarter of this year, ushering in the era of 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit. It marked a record high for the fourth consecutive quarter and a first in the history of tech companies worldwide. No Korean company or global big tech firm has ever reached this level. Samsung Electronics has written a new chapter in global corporate history. As the semiconductor supercycle continues in the AI era, the company is expected to keep setting earnings records. ▶ Related article on page 3Samsung Electronics announced preliminary consolidated results on the 8th, reporting revenue of 195 trillion won and operating profit of 107.4 trillion won for the third quarter of 2026. Revenue surged 126.59% from the same period last year, while operating profit jumped about 782.5%.
In particular, Samsung Electronics’ quarterly operating profit of more than 100 trillion won is the highest among tech companies worldwide, including those in Korea.
NVIDIA, the world’s most valuable company and a leader in the AI era, reported revenue of $96.22 billion (about 128.915 trillion won) and operating profit of $63.734 billion (85.3905 trillion won) for the second quarter of fiscal 2027, figures it announced last August. Samsung Electronics earned about 20 trillion won more than NVIDIA. Since the fourth quarter of last year, Samsung Electronics has set new records for four consecutive quarters, with both revenue and operating profit reaching record highs. Its cumulative revenue and operating profit this year have reached 500.37 trillion won and 254.13 trillion won, respectively. The company is also on track to achieve annual operating profit of 350 trillion won this year.
Although detailed results were not disclosed that day, the Device Solutions Division (DS Division), which handles the semiconductor business, is believed to have accounted for most of the company’s operating profit in the third quarter.
The market estimates that the Memory Business Division earned about 110 trillion won in operating profit. That would mean its operating profit exceeded Samsung Electronics’ total operating profit.
The memory business’s profitability is understood to have grown substantially as expanded AI investment drove up prices for commodity DRAM and NAND flash, while results for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) improved. Starting in the third quarter, sales of HBM4 for NVIDIA’s next-generation AI platform, Vera Rubin, were reflected in the results, apparently contributing to the increase.
This is also seen as a result of memory demand holding firm amid AI competition among global big tech companies. The industry expects the semiconductor boom driven by the supercycle to continue through the fourth quarter and into next year. Market research firm TrendForce forecast that fourth-quarter prices for commodity DRAM would rise 10–15% from the previous quarter, and NAND prices 15–20%.
However, the non-memory businesses within the DS Division, including LSI and foundry, are believed to have posted losses of around 1.9 trillion won. The Device eXperience Division (DX) also appears to have extended its first-ever loss, recorded the previous quarter, into a second consecutive quarter, burdened by sharply higher component prices. The market estimates that the Mobile eXperience (MX) and network businesses posted losses of around 1.8 trillion won. The TV (VD) and home appliance (DA) businesses may also have recorded losses of about 400 billion won. Samsung Display is estimated to have earned 1.1 trillion won in operating profit, while Harman is estimated to have earned between 200 billion and 400 billion won.

[email protected] Park So-hyun, Park Ji-yeon Reporter