Over 45,000 Samsung employees threaten an 18-day strike starting May 21, affecting the production of essential chips for AI. Negotiations regarding bonuses are at an impasse.

Samsung Electronics is facing an imminent 18-day strike that could begin on May 21, threatening the production of essential memory chips for AI data centers, smartphones, and laptops. Over 45,000 employees want to protest following difficult negotiations regarding bonuses, in the context of the company having made huge profits from the global memory shortage. Samsung has proposed generous bonuses for employees in the memory chip division, but the union argues that all employees, including those in the AI chip production division, deserve fair treatment. Analyses suggest that the strike could reduce Samsung's operating profit by up to 31 billion won, and sales losses could reach 4.5 billion won. Internal divisions and employee departures threaten Samsung's goal of becoming a global leader in semiconductors.