{
  "id": 16993749,
  "title": "Samsung Electronics Becomes First Tech Giant to Top 100 Trillion Won in Quarterly Operating Profit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/samsung-electronics-becomes-first-tech-giant-to-top-100-trillion-won",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-29T02:30:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BusinessKorea",
    "slug": "businesskorea",
    "url": "https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=279944"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Samsung Electronics has achieved a major milestone by becoming the first global technology company to surpass 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit, marking a record-breaking quarter driven by surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips. The semiconductor business alone contributed over 106 trillion won in operating profit. In the third quarter, Samsung Electronics reported consolidated revenue of 195.25 trillion won, or approximately $146.38 billion, with operating profit soaring to 107.44 trillion won, representing a staggering 783.1% increase year on year. Revenue experienced a remarkable 126.9% year-on-year growth, while operating profit surged by 20.06% compared to the previous quarter. The operating margin reached an impressive 55.0%, while net profit climbed an astounding 514.6% year on year to 75.14 trillion won. The Device Solutions (DS) division, responsible for Samsung's semiconductor operations, led the charge, generating 147.1 trillion won in revenue and an operating profit of 106.5 trillion won, accounting for nearly 99% of the company's total operating profit. The memory business saw an extraordinary 427% year-on-year revenue increase, primarily fueled by robust demand for sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) and server solid-state drives (SSDs) as AI infrastructure investment expands. Profitability improved significantly as Samsung focused on high-value-added AI products such as HBM, amid production capacity constraints and rising prices for server memory, conventional DRAM, and NAND flash. The foundry business also posted substantial gains, supported by soaring sales of HBM base dies and advanced process technologies. Samsung secured orders from major hyperscalers seeking 2-nanometer high-performance computing (HPC) solutions, including prominent cloud service providers. In contrast, the Device Experience (DX) division, encompassing smartphones and home appliances, faced profitability challenges, recording a revenue of 52.1 trillion won but an operating loss of 800 billion won. The Mobile Experience (MX) business saw revenue rise by 15%, primarily due to the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold8, but higher memory prices led to increased production costs, resulting in a combined operating loss of 600 billion won. TV and home appliance businesses encountered similar difficulties, with TV sales declining after the conclusion of major sporting events and higher raw material and logistics costs contributing to a combined operating loss of 200 billion won. Samsung Display and automotive electronics subsidiary Harman also contributed to the overall earnings. In addition to its record earnings, Samsung Electronics announced a substantial shareholder return initiative, approving a third-quarter cash dividend of 30 trillion won, or 4,601 won per share for both common and preferred shares, payable on Nov. 27. The company plans to return a total of between 90 trillion and 110 trillion won to shareholders for the year, while maintaining a policy of allocating 50% of its free cash flow (FCF) generated over the 2024–2026 period to shareholders.",
  "summary": "Samsung Electronics has become the first global technology company to surpass 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit, setting another record as surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips propelled earnings. Its semiconductor business alone generated more than 106 trillion won in o",
  "key_points": [
    "Semiconductor business contributes over 106 trillion won in operating profit.",
    "AI chip demand surge drives record-breaking quarter."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The massive surge in semiconductor earnings signals a total pivot toward artificial intelligence infrastructure, where high-value memory products now dictate the company's financial dominance over its consumer electronics divisions.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}