The AI pay gap: A chip boom breeds jealousy and labor unrest in Asia

Asia's memory chip workers are beginning to be richly rewarded as wages stagnate in other sectors. (Nikkei illustration) Tech Asia The AI pay gap: A chip boom breeds jealousy and labor unrest in Asia Massive bonuses benefit local economies but leave other workers behind KIM JAEWON, STEVEN BOROWIEC, CHENG TING-FANG, LAULY LI, and CISSY ZHOU November 11, 2026 06:00 JST PYEONGTAEK, South Korea/TAIPEI/HONG KONG -- "Welcome to the world's semiconductor capital" reads a sign on the gate of a Samsung Electronics chip plant in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, a 20-minute express train ride from southern Seoul. Thousands of employees were at work there one November afternoon, while more manufacturing facilities were under construction close by to meet soaring demand for advanced memory chips, critical components for artificial intelligence computing. Read Next Interview Taiwan chipmaker CEO warns memory price rises are unsustainable Semiconductors Memory chip makers outearn Alphabet, other tech giants on AI demand Semiconductors Taiwan's first-ever chip workers strike hits Micron plant Semiconductors China's CXMT tops SK Hynix, Micron to take memory profit margin crown Semiconductors Samsung posts tech's biggest ever profit with blockbuster third quarter Consumer Asia's AI boom is benefiting business owners, not consumers, economists say Latest on Tech Asia Tech Asia HP and Asus shift some PC making back to China due to AI-driven cost hikes Tech Asia SB Energy does SoftBank's spadework for Son's AI drive Tech Asia Tech supply chain shrugs off AI slowdown calls as demand booms Sponsored Content About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.