"A Crisis for Global AI Infrastructure"… Foreign Media Concerned Over the Fallout from Samsung Electronics' 45,000-Worker Strike

Amid the fierce global artificial intelligence (AI) boom, the global IT supply chain is on high alert as Samsung Electronics, one of the world's largest memory semiconductor companies, faces the threat of a massive strike involving 45,000 workers. Major foreign media outlets are repeatedly warning that if this strike, scheduled for May 21, 2026, materializes, it could cause fatal disruptions in the production of memory semiconductors—the heart of AI systems—putting a severe brake on the construction of global AI infrastructure.

The Achilles Heel of the Global AI Supply Chain: Concerns Over Hits to 'HBM' and 'DRAM' Production

Foreign media and experts point out that this situation goes beyond a simple labor-management conflict and could become a crucial 'breaking point' in the global AI supply chain. For cutting-edge AI processors like Nvidia's GPUs to perform at their full capacity, High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and DRAM must essentially be integrated together. Currently, Samsung Electronics accounts for about 33% of the global DRAM market, and combined with its competitor SK Hynix, controls approximately 66% of the global market share. Furthermore, Samsung Electronics is one of only three companies in the world (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) capable of producing the HBM chips essential for AI operations.

According to foreign media reports, if Samsung Electronics' semiconductor production lines stop, it could trigger a chain of ripple effects, including delays in the construction of AI data centers by major global tech companies, a surge in memory semiconductor prices, and a slowdown in the adoption of AI services. Since SK Hynix and Micron, considered as alternatives, are already operating at near 100% utilization rates to meet existing demand, it is practically very difficult for them to fill Samsung's void and prevent a global semiconductor shortage.

The Root Cause of the Strike: 'Extreme Internal Division' Over the Fruits of the AI Boom

According to a report by Reuters, the core of this conflict lies in disagreements over "who will share the massive profits created by the AI boom, and how." It was revealed that the management offered a massive performance bonus amounting to 607% of the annual salary to employees in the memory semiconductor division (approximately 27,000 employees), but offered a performance bonus of only 50 to 100% to employees in the non-memory division (logic chips such as foundry and system LSI).

The union is strongly protesting that foundry employees manufacturing AI chips for Tesla and Nvidia are being completely alienated, despite working in the same building as the memory division employees. This extreme compensation gap is already spreading into an internal 'talent drain' phenomenon, with a significant number of foundry engineers attempting to move to competitors like SK Hynix in search of higher compensation.

Massive Economic Losses and the Looming Crisis

This strike is also expected to deal a massive blow to Samsung Electronics' financial condition. JPMorgan estimated that this strike could cause Samsung Electronics' operating profit to evaporate by 21 trillion won to as much as 31 trillion won.

The South Korean government and foreign investors are deeply concerned that this situation could shake the entire global supply chain. This strike crisis is an event that clearly demonstrates that no matter how advanced and innovative AI technology may be, it ultimately cannot be established without the 'human labor' wearing cleanroom suits and operating complex machines. If cutting-edge tech companies fail to find answers on how to fairly share wealth with workers, the most important human resources could instead become the biggest bottleneck hindering AI growth.