Samsung Protest Threatens RAM Supply, 18-Day Strike
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- Samsung faced a rally of an estimated 40,000 union members outside its Pyeongtaek chip plant on Thursday.
- Samsung union demands include removing Samsung’s cap on bonus pay, allocating more money for bonuses, and raising base salaries to match rival SK Hynix.
- Samsung foundry workers plan an 18‑day strike starting May 21 if no agreement is reached.
- Samsung’s output for foundry and memory chips dropped 58% and 18% respectively during the overnight shift as workers protested.
- Samsung is the world’s largest DRAM and NAND memory company, with SK Hynix close behind in both markets.
- RAM shortage is predicted to last until 2030 and has already pushed SSD prices up, e.g., the 4TB Samsung 990 Pro SSD now costs nearly $1,000 versus $320 previously.
- Samsung’s South Korean workforce is over 70% unionized, with more than 90,000 employee members.
Why it matters: The 18‑day strike threatens to slash Samsung’s DRAM output, tightening a RAM shortage that already pushes SSD prices higher, hurting device makers and consumers while boosting SK Hynix’s market share and squeezing Samsung’s revenue and market dominance, and forcing price hikes across the tech sector.
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