South Korean conglomerates also in “panic”: Engineers holding the key to HBM are forcibly breaking through social classes with their expertise

Glonghui, May 10 — As the AI wave creates an immense hunger for HBM (High-Bandwidth Memory), engineers mastering core technologies are becoming the new focal point of Korean society. Over the past year, some SK Hynix employees received year-end bonuses close to 6 million RMB, a “fantastical” figure that reflects how AI hardware dividends are increasingly favoring technical talent.In Korea’s matchmaking market, Hynix engineers have become the top “premium assets.” Even in the face of demanding overtime and other professional challenges, their status as “technical aristocrats” makes them highly sought after. For the first time, Korean chaebols are showing unprecedented attention and even “anxiety” toward the engineering community. They have come to realize that in the AI era, the value of HBM R&D talent now surpasses pure capital accumulation, becoming the key trump card determining the survival of enterprises.While there is public concern about AI replacing human labor, in high-tech sectors like semiconductors, AI has not led to unemployment among top talent. On the contrary, it has further highlighted their scarcity and bargaining power. The SK Hynix case indicates that, in the AI-driven reshaping of the industrial chain, engineers with high-barrier technical skills are taking the lead in achieving both social mobility and wealth creation.