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Update What changed

The BBC reports Samsung expects third-quarter operating profit of 107.4tn won, about $80bn, a nine-fold increase on a year earlier. The company’s full results are due at the end of October.

The BBC attributes the forecast to surging demand for memory chips used in AI data centres. It also notes that Samsung expects its latest foldable phones to have contributed, so the forecast is not solely an AI-chip story.

The figure would make this Samsung’s fourth consecutive quarter of record earnings, according to the BBC. Its report says the company’s preliminary estimate is backed by internal data; the final results will show how closely it lands.

Sources and evidence

• AI chip boom pushes Samsung profits to record $80bn - BBC: The BBC reports that Samsung expects third-quarter operating profit of 107.4tn won, about $80bn, up nine-fold year on year, with the company’s full results due at the end of October.

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.

Update What changed

Samsung expects third-quarter sales of about 195 trillion won, more than double the 86.6 trillion won it reported for the same quarter last year, Silicon UK reports, citing the company’s regulatory filing. That adds a revenue forecast to the operating-profit figure already reported in the live story.

Silicon UK says Samsung attributed the outlook to shortages and demand for components including DRAM, NAND and high-bandwidth memory used in AI servers. The report says memory chips are expected to account for most of the growth, though the forecast does not give a business-by-business breakdown.

Samsung is due to publish detailed results, including that breakdown, on 29 October, according to Silicon UK. Until then, the forecast shows the scale of the boom more clearly than it explains how much each part of Samsung’s business contributed.

Sources and evidence

• Samsung Expects Nearly Ninefold Profit Jump - Silicon UK: Silicon UK reports that Samsung forecasts third-quarter sales of about 195 trillion won, more than double a year earlier, with memory chips expected to account for most of the growth; detailed results are due on 29 October.

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.

Update What changed

Euronews reports that Samsung estimates third-quarter operating profit at 107.4 trillion won, or $80.2 billion, up 782.5% from a year earlier. If confirmed, that would beat the $63.7 billion in operating income Nvidia reported for its latest quarter, making Samsung’s forecast the largest quarterly operating profit reported by a technology company, according to the report.

Euronews says the estimate implies an operating margin of about 55%, on estimated sales of 195 trillion won. Samsung has not yet provided a breakdown by division, so the figures do not show exactly how much came from memory chips or other businesses.

Samsung shares closed 2.42% lower on Thursday as investors weighed how long the memory boom might last, Euronews reports.

Sources and evidence

• Samsung flags 783% profit jump to record $80bn as AI chip boom also lifts TSMC sales - Euronews.com: Euronews reports that Samsung’s preliminary third-quarter operating-profit estimate is 107.4 trillion won, up 782.5% year on year, and would exceed Nvidia’s latest quarterly operating income if confirmed.

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.