SK hynix workers could land huge AI-era bonuses, while Samsung heads into a pay fight

The AI hardware boom is getting so big that SK hynix employees could see average bonuses of around 700 million won, or about US$477,000, this year. And if forecasts keep climbing, that figure could get even crazier next year.

According to reports cited by Tom's Hardware, SK hynix changed its compensation structure last September by removing its old bonus cap and setting aside 10% of annual operating profit for employee performance payouts. With analysts projecting 250 trillion won (US$169 billion) in operating profit for 2026, that would create a 25 trillion won bonus pool for the company's roughly 35,000 workers.

That is not just a nice year-end extra. That is proper life-changing money.

SK hynix had already paid average profit-sharing bonuses of about 140 million won (around US$95,000) per employee in February, so this latest estimate shows just how hard the AI memory wave is hitting.

Why this is happening

The short version, HBM is king right now.

The recent turnaround at both SK hynix and Samsung has been driven mainly by surging demand for high-bandwidth memory and other AI-focused memory products. These are the parts feeding the current AI server race, and that demand has completely changed the mood in the memory business.

That matters even if you're in Malaysia and not working at a Korean chip fab. Companies like SK hynix and Samsung sit deep inside the hardware chain behind AI servers, GPUs, laptops, phones, and plenty of gear that eventually reaches SEA markets. When memory makers start printing this level of profit, it tells you where the industry's money and attention are going.

For gamers and PC bros here, this is another reminder that the AI gold rush is not only about Nvidia headlines. The memory side is eating very well too.

Samsung is dealing with the opposite vibe

While SK hynix staff are looking at monster payouts, Samsung is stuck in a labour dispute.

Samsung's union has threatened a general strike from May 21 to June 7 after rejecting management's compensation offer. The union wants workers to receive 15% of operating profit, while analysts estimate Samsung could make about 298 trillion won (US$202 billion) this year.

At that 15% level, Tom's Hardware says the semiconductor division alone would be on the hook for roughly 580 million won, or about US$396,000 per employee, across a workforce of around 77,000 people.

Samsung management reportedly responded with a 10% profit-sharing proposal, similar to SK hynix's setup, but that was rejected. The union is instead planning a large rally at Samsung's Pyeongtaek fab on April 23. Samsung also asked a court last Thursday to block what it described as illegal activities during a strike.

There is another problem for Samsung too, talent drift. Union chairman Choi Seung-ho said roughly 200 employees have moved to SK hynix over the last four months.

Big swing from the recent downturn

What makes this story extra wild is how fast things flipped.

Back in 2024, Samsung paid no performance bonuses at all after its chip division went through operating losses during the 2023 memory downturn. SK hynix also saw its own bonus rate fall sharply in that same weak period.

Now the pendulum has swung hard in the other direction.

There is also some backlash in South Korea. Posts on the anonymous workplace forum Blind argued that firms benefiting from state infrastructure spending and 20% tax credits under the K-Chips Act should spread gains more widely. The combined tax benefits received by SK hynix and Samsung over the last two years were estimated at 20 trillion won, or around US$13.6 billion.

And this may not even be the peak. Investment bank Macquarie reportedly forecast 447 trillion won (US$304.5 billion) in SK hynix operating profit next year. If that happens, the average payout under the existing 10% formula would rise to more than 1 billion won per employee, which is close to US$900,000.

For SEA readers, the takeaway is simple. The AI boom is not just making headline companies richer. It is reshaping the whole semiconductor hierarchy, who gets paid, who keeps talent, and who loses staff to a hotter rival. In a region obsessed with gaming hardware, phones, laptops, and the next big AI device, that is something worth watching.

Source: Tom's Hardware