Samsung SDI swings to profit in Q3 on ESS battery demand

Samsung SDI, a leading battery manufacturer, has reported a return to profitability in the third quarter of 2026, attributed to robust demand for energy storage system (ESS) batteries and a surge in sales of small batteries for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. The company's operating profit for the period reached 407.8 billion won ($285 million), a significant turnaround from a loss of 591.3 billion won in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter increased by 52.6 percent year-on-year to 4.69 trillion won, marking the highest quarterly operating profit for Samsung SDI since the third quarter of 2023. The battery business alone generated 4.41 trillion won in revenue, up 55.3 percent from the previous year, with operating profit hitting 361.9 billion won.

This positive performance is largely driven by the expansion of the global AI data center market and increased sales of cylindrical batteries for power tools and electric vehicles.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.