← Latest news 
Samsung strike looms 18 days—could rattle global AI chip supply chains and squeeze every Nvidia shipment worldwide
Economy
Published on 15 May 2026
A bonus gap turns into a strike threat
Samsung’s planned 18-day strike starting May 21, 2026 is casting a long shadow over the global AI chip supply chain. With 45,000 workers expected to walk out, JPMorgan estimates Samsung could lose $14 billion to $20.79 billion in operating profit. The trigger is a widening bonus divide: memory chip employees were offered 607% bonuses, far higher than logic and foundry workers tied to AI processors for Nvidia and Tesla—reshaping labor tensions across the semiconductor ecosystem.
- 45,000 Samsung workers are preparing an 18-day walkout starting May 21, 2026
- JPMorgan estimates Samsung could face $14B to $20.79B in lost operating profit
- Memory chip employees were offered 607% annual salary bonuses
- Logic and foundry workers were offered 50% to 100% of annual salary
- Samsung is the world’s top memory chipmaker by sales, crucial for AI data centers
- The strike could disrupt components used in AI systems built by Nvidia and Tesla
Read the full story at The Economic Times
This summarization was done by Beige for a story published on 
The Economic Times