Samsung confirms record quarterly operating profit of 107.4 trillion won

Samsung Electronics confirmed record operating profit for July–September 2026 on 29 October, matching its earlier estimate and rising nearly ninefold from a year earlier. In IGN’s account of the earnings call, Samsung’s semiconductor business recorded 147.1 trillion won in revenue and 106.5 trillion won in profit. IGN did not specify which profit measure it meant.

Reuters attributed the record profit to strong demand for superintelligence (SI) chips, while saying investors remained wary about how long SI spending would last. Rival SK Hynix announced strong earnings and an upbeat outlook on 28 October, helping ease concerns about chip-earnings growth and lifting both companies’ shares.

How much the semiconductor business contributed

Samsung said prioritising production of HBM4 memory, used in SI data centres, made the semiconductor results possible, in IGN’s account of the call.

SiliconANGLE identified the same 106.5 trillion won figure as operating profit for Device Solutions, the division that houses Samsung’s semiconductor business. On that measure, the division supplied almost all of Samsung’s 107.4 trillion won group operating profit. The MX and Networks unit, which includes smartphone sales, posted an operating loss.

IGN put the semiconductor share of quarterly revenue at 72%. SiliconANGLE’s reported segment revenue of 147.1 trillion won and group revenue of 195.25 trillion won imply a different share, about 75.3%.

Samsung plans more investment as it forecasts tighter supply

Samsung said capital spending—investment in production facilities and equipment—in its chip division would rise 62% to 76.8 trillion won in 2026. It plans another sharp increase in 2027 to address the supply shortage. The company forecasts record investment in SI infrastructure in 2027 and expects SI-driven demand to exceed industry supply by more than in 2026.

Higher memory-chip costs squeezed margins in Samsung’s mobile business, which fell to a loss of 800 billion won.

Group revenue and net profit also rose

Samsung plans to finalise its next shareholder-return policy in January

Samsung’s board approved a 30 trillion won cash dividend for shareholders. On 29 October, the company said it would finalise its next shareholder-return policy in January.