18 days. That's all it takes for a Samsung strike to crash the global AI chip market, and the whole world is holding its breath

Samsung strike to crash the global AI chip market: The Samsung strike threatens global AI chip supply chains as 45,000 workers plan an 18-day walkout starting May 21, 2026. Samsung's memory chip workers were offered 607% salary bonuses — six times more than logic chip and foundry engineers building AI silicon for Nvidia and Tesla. JPMorgan estimates up to $20.79 billion in lost profit.