Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co. reported a significant increase in its net profit for the third quarter on Thursday, although its semiconductor division continued to struggle due to underperforming artificial intelligence chips. According to Yonhap News Agency, Samsung posted a net profit of 10.1 trillion won (US$7.3 billion) for the July-September period, marking a 72.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The company's operating profit also saw a substantial rise, reaching 9.18 trillion won, a 277.4 percent increase from 2.43 trillion won a year prior. Revenue for the tech giant climbed by 17.3 percent to 79.09 trillion won. Despite these gains, the operating profit was 10.8 percent below the average estimate from a survey conducted by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data arm of Yonhap News Agency. While an estimate for the net profit was not available, the discrepancy in operating profit highlights the challenges Samsung faces in meeting market expectations. The semiconductor segment of Samsung, a critical component of its business, reported an operating profit of 3.86 trillion won for the third quarter. This marks a recovery from a 2.18 trillion won deficit recorded a year earlier. However, it represents a significant drop from the 6.45 trillion won profit achieved in the previous quarter, underscoring the ongoing difficulties within its chip business, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence.