For months, workers at the semiconductor division of Samsung Electronics felt left behind in the global artificial intelligence boom.

The A.I. build out was in full swing, driving up demand for computer memory chips, an industry dominated by Samsung and another South Korean company, SK Hynix. Reflecting this new age of plenty, SK Hynix had in 2025 unveiled new, industry-leading perks: 10 percent of operating profit was set aside for worker bonuses. Caps for those bonuses were also removed.

In recent days, Samsung’s largest labor union made a similar request in its negotiations — that the company commit 15 percent of its operating profit for performance bonuses for the semiconductor division, and to remove a cap that limits individual bonuses.

Disagreements with the company brought the workers to the brink of a strike, which was averted Wednesday night after an intervention by government mediators.

Under the provisional agreement, which abolished the bonus cap, Samsung is expected to set aside 10.5 percent of profits for bonuses. In the first three months of this year, the company’s profit soared to $39 billion. The union will vote on whether to finalize the deal by next Wednesday.

While the deal defused the immediate crisis, the episode illustrated a question taking on increasing urgency amid South Korea’s A.I. windfall: How should its profits be distributed?