Samsung Electronics has projected a quarterly operating profit of $80.17 billion, a world first for a technology company, powered by booming demand for AI memory chips.

The South Korean giant estimated operating profit of 107.4 trillion won for the July-September quarter, a nearly nine-fold jump from a year earlier and slightly ahead of analyst estimates. It marks Samsung's fourth straight quarter of record profit.

The surge reflects a deepening global memory chip shortage as AI infrastructure investment outpaces supply growth, driving chip prices sharply higher. Samsung and rival Micron expect the imbalance to persist into 2028.

Yet the market reaction was muted. Samsung shares slipped 0.2 per cent, and the stock is down more than 25 per cent from its June record as investors question whether the AI boom can sustain such growth.

"The market's focus has shifted to whether the sharp earnings growth that started a year ago would be sustainable," said Mirae Asset analyst Kim Seok-hwan. Analysts expect fourth-quarter profit growth to slow to 8.2 per cent.