Samsung Electronics expects its third-quarter 2025 revenue to surge 8.7 percent year-on-year to a record 86 trillion won ($60.2 billion), driven by soaring demand and higher prices for conventional memory chips used in artificial intelligence (AI) servers. The company also benefited from a weaker South Korean won, which boosted export competitiveness.
The world’s largest memory chipmaker projected an operating profit of 12.1 trillion won ($8.5 billion) for the July–September period — its strongest quarterly profit in over three years and 32 percent higher than a year earlier.
AI Boom Drives Memory Chip Prices Up
Analysts attributed Samsung’s earnings surprise to a sharp rise in DRAM and NAND chip prices, fueled by limited supply and robust AI data center demand. According to TrendForce, DRAM prices jumped 171.8 percent year-on-year in Q3 2025, reflecting a global shortage of conventional chips as manufacturers prioritize advanced AI chip production.
The chip division led Samsung’s rebound, supported by narrower losses in its foundry business, where higher utilization rates helped offset fixed costs.
Market Confidence and Share Price Surge
Following the results, Samsung shares climbed 2.9 percent to 96,000 won, their highest level since January 2021, extending their 2025 gains to nearly 79 percent.
Though Samsung has lagged rivals such as SK Hynix and Micron in supplying high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips to NVIDIA, analysts expect its 12-layer HBM3E chips to gain traction. The company is also investing heavily in next-generation HBM4 chips, expected to begin commercial shipments in 2026.
Outlook: Strong Momentum but Global Risks Persist
The AI infrastructure boom, led by data center expansions from OpenAI, Tesla, and major cloud providers, is expected to sustain memory chip demand through 2026. However, Samsung faces potential headwinds including U.S. tariffs, China–U.S. trade tensions, and China’s export restrictions on critical materials for chip manufacturing.
Samsung will release detailed Q3 2025 earnings, including business segment performance, on October 30.
TelecomLead.com News Desk
