Samsung reportedly spends heavily to poach TSMC customers, with US executives earning more than $300,000 a year

Recently, it was reported that Samsung Electronics is accelerating its expansion of the US chip market. Its Taylor wafer plant in Texas is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. It will introduce 2nm advanced process technology and aim to achieve mass production in 2026. At the same time, the company offered high salaries to form a sales team. The annual salary of the foundry sales director position is as high as US$319,800 (approximately RMB 2.294 million), far exceeding the salary of the same level in South Korea, aiming to snatch TSMC's orders from US customers.

Specifically, Samsung provides generous salaries for the sales team: the annual salary of the foundry customer service senior manager is US$180,950 to US$289,050, the annual salary of the account manager is US$140,515 to US$217,485, and the senior research manager can reach up to US$266,910. The newly hired personnel will focus on expanding the US customer base. However, TSMC has taken the lead. When its Arizona factory was founded in the early years, it received orders from major customers such as Apple and Nvidia and began mass production of chips. Samsung faces severe competitive pressure.

Despite this, Samsung continues to increase its investment, and the Taylor plant is seen as a key layout, but the industry is concerned about the risk of losses as soon as it goes into production, especially the hesitation in equipment orders and high tariffs that may push up costs. In the end, Samsung's "headhunting strategy" demonstrates its determination to enter the United States. If it succeeds in attracting customers, it may reshape the global chip foundry landscape.