Tencent on Wednesday reported quarterly profit well above analysts’ expectations, amid strength in its gaming business. Revenue grew by 8%, but nevertheless came just under an analyst forecast. The company also noted it was starting to see benefits from artificial intelligence.

Tencent posted a stronger-than-expected 47% profit surge in the third quarter, driven by gains in gaming, advertising, and cloud services, as announced on Wednesday. The Chinese social media and gaming giant reported profit attributable to shareholders rose to 53.

Tencent Holdings, operator of China's biggest social media app and the world's largest video gaming business by revenue, beat analyst estimates with a 47 per cent profit jump in the third quarter, helped by renewed growth in the video gaming segment.

Tencent’s core gaming business delivered strong results as the Chinese technology giant contended with a cooling economy.