Samsung to pay record semiconductor bonuses as AI-driven chip profits surge

Samsung Electronics plans to pay record performance bonuses after a surge in profits driven by AI-related demand for memory chips. Device Solutions (DS), Samsung’s semiconductor division, will award eligible staff up to 47% of annual base salary under its Overachieved Performance Incentive (OPI) program this month — near the internal 50% cap. Samsung’s mobile MX division will receive the full 50% OPI, while consumer electronics and networks divisions face much lower rates (around 12% based on 2025 performance). The payouts follow a preliminary Q4 operating profit of 20 trillion won (~$13.6bn), with the DS division contributing an estimated 16–17 trillion won thanks to higher prices for advanced and general-purpose memory and strong demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM). SK hynix also announced a new profit-sharing plan: it will allocate 10% of operating profits to bonuses after scrapping its prior cap, with an average projected payout above 140 million won per employee. SK hynix will pay 80% up front and defer 20% over two years, and it will reintroduce an Employee Share Participation Program that lets staff take half their bonus in shares plus a 15% cash premium for one-year holds. Since 2024, both Samsung and SK hynix have shifted capacity toward HBM, tightening supply for general-purpose DRAM like DDR5 and lifting prices. For traders: large payouts signal stronger corporate earnings in leading chipmakers, sustained demand for AI-related memory, and continued margin expansion in the memory sector — factors that can support stock and semiconductor-sector crypto-related tokens tied to AI infrastructure or GPU demand.