Seoul: Samsung Electronics has announced a projected 32% year-on-year increase in its operating profit for the third quarter of 2025, estimating earnings of approximately 12.1 trillion South Korean won ($8.5 billion). This forecast notably exceeds market expectations, marking Samsung's highest quarterly profit in more than three years, and reflects the surging global demand for memory chips, particularly those used in artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
The company’s semiconductor division has been a major driver of this growth. Conventional memory chips, including DRAM and NAND flash, are seeing unprecedented demand from data centers and cloud service providers catering to AI workloads. The AI boom has tightened the global supply of memory chips, pushed up prices and boosted Samsung’s revenue from its core memory business. While Samsung faces challenges in producing advanced high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips for clients like Nvidia, its established DRAM and NAND operations have exceeded expectations, contributing significantly to profitability.
Samsung also anticipates record quarterly revenue of 86 trillion won, an 8.7% increase over the same period last year. The company’s strong financial outlook has been positively received by investors, with Samsung's stock price climbing to its highest level since early 2021. Analysts see this performance as validation of Samsung’s strategic investments in memory production and its positioning in the AI-driven technology market.
Despite these strong results, Samsung faces geopolitical and regulatory challenges that could affect its operations. Export controls and international trade tensions remain key risks, particularly in the supply of advanced memory chips. To address these challenges, Samsung is accelerating the development of HBM4 chips, which are expected to enter the market in 2026, positioning the company for further leadership in high-performance memory technology.
The projected third-quarter performance underscores Samsung’s ability to capitalize on the AI revolution while navigating a complex global market. As the technology landscape evolves, the company’s focus on innovation and supply chain optimization appears poised to sustain its growth trajectory in both memory and broader semiconductor markets.