Seoul, Oct 17: Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest memory chip maker, said on Friday its third-quarter profit rose a better-than-expected 6.6 per cent, lifted by improved sales of its mainstay memory chips. Samsung, which also is a top maker of mobile phones and consumer electronics, is benefiting from booming demand for its flash memory chips used in digital cameras and phone handsets.

Also riding a recovery in global chip demand, US groups Intel Corp and AMD beat market expectations when they released quarterly results earlier this week, sending their shares surging.
Stronger computer demand as students in the United States and elsewhere returned to school and low inventory levels were the key drivers behind Samsung's better performance. An expected rise in shipments ahead of Christmas is likely to keep it buoyant.
The Christmas season is historically the best period for the tech sector, and analysts said this year would show a solid improvement over last year's dismal performance. Another bright spot was mobile phones sales: Samsung sold 15 million in the quarter, beating its target of 13 million. Bureau Report