Thanks to AI in generating robust revenues, SK Hynix has announced it would issue performance bonuses equivalent to 1.5 months' salary, but many employees are still pushing for more. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics has remained silent, with numerous employees in its semiconductor division reportedly receiving almost no bonus.
According to Korean media outlets Business Post and The Korea Economic Daily, although the AI semiconductor boom has revived the IT industry, semiconductor employees in the first half of 2025 are facing vastly different compensation realities.
The atmosphere at Samsung, in comparison to SK Hynix, is subdued. In the first half of 2025, Samsung's Device Solutions (DS) division issued significantly lower performance bonuses. In DS, the memory unit granted only 25% of the base salary, while the System LSI unit and Semiconductor R&D Center only gave 12.5%. The foundry unit issued no performance bonus at all.
The difference from 2024 is massive. In 2024, the memory unit received 75% bonuses, and the foundry unit got 37.5%. In the second half of 2024, the memory unit received as much as 200% of base salary as performance bonuses. In response to underwhelming results, Samsung's DS leadership opted to return all performance bonuses for the first half of 2025.
Despite operating in the same semiconductor sector, companies show drastic differences due to divergent business portfolios and market adaptability. SK Hynix leads the AI server high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market. TSMC virtually monopolizes AI chip manufacturing with its advanced foundry processes.
On the other hand, Samsung covers diverse business areas but lacks core competitiveness. Its foundry and System LSI units continue to incur losses, while its once-lucrative DRAM and NAND flash memory segments are seeing declining profits due to intensifying competition from Chinese firms.
The performance bonus gap between companies ultimately reflects more than just a difference in employee compensation; it signals a talent war in the semiconductor industry. Samsung's weaker salary sentiment and incentives could place it at a disadvantage, as top technical talent may seek better offers from competitors.
Article edited by Joseph Tsai
