Samsung is planning to pay out generous half-year bonuses to its chipmaking business employees, insiders close to the company report. The performance rewards for the first six months of 2020 will amount to as much as 100% of a given staffer's monthly salary. For added context, Samsung's mobile division is said to be planning 75% bonuses at most over the same period, primarily on account of weaker smartphone sales stemming from the global coronavirus crisis which is still ongoing.
The above-average bonuses planned for the semiconductor division are an acknowledgement of the unit's growing importance in Samsung's portfolio. High chipset demand is arguably the only thing that kept Samsung insulated from the economic instabilities that are currently permeating every corner of the planet. As a result, the Seoul-based chaebol posted remarkably consistent Q2 earnings even as its consumer electronics sales plummeted.
Uncertain times ahead of Samsung
Despite the semiconductor-shaped silver lining in the company's H1Y20 performance, some highly uncertain times are ahead of Samsung. The next Galaxy Unpacked event is of extreme importance for the conglomerate given how no fewer than three major product lineups are expected to launch on the occasion: the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Fold 2, and Galaxy Tab S7.
At the same time, continued success in the semiconductor space is far from guaranteed, especially in the context of consumer electronics applications. As a reminder, it was only a couple of months back that reports of Samsung's Exynos team feeling “humiliated” by Qualcomm emerged. More context on the matter should be available in just a matter of days, with Samsung being set to announce its Q2 earnings guidance by this time next week.
