[Digital Today intern reporter Seung-a Yoo] An artificial intelligence (AI) chip boom is turning semiconductor workers at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix into a new high-income group in South Korea, reshaping preferences in the blind-date and marriage market.

MIT Technology Review reported on Sunday that large performance bonuses in the semiconductor industry are affecting employees’ spending, housing and even the dating market.

A 35-year-old SK hynix manager surnamed Baek, who is registered with matchmaking firm Sunwoo, said he and his colleagues have recently seen a noticeable increase in blind-date opportunities. "In the past few months, I have been getting a lot of blind dates too," he said, adding that bonuses may have played a role. Online, jokes have even emerged that the best outfit for a blind date is an SK hynix uniform.

Behind the shift is a sharp improvement in the chipmakers’ results. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are key suppliers of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in Nvidia’s AI accelerators. As global data centre investment expands and HBM demand outstrips supply, profitability at the two companies has surged. SK hynix last year reached an agreement with its labour union to pay employees 10 percent of operating profit, and this year additional compensation of about 700 million won per employee is expected to be paid, it was reported. Samsung Electronics employees also received a one-off payment with a similar structure in May.

The change is also reflected in matchmaking firms’ scoring metrics. Sunwoo runs a spouse score that reflects education, job, income, appearance and family background. After the bonus announcements, the job score for Samsung Electronics employees rose to 84 from 80, and SK hynix employees climbed to 82 from 78. Scores of 90 or higher are assigned to doctors and lawyers, meaning semiconductor workers are nearing traditional high-income professions.

Lee Seong-mi (이성미), who handles matching at Sunwoo, said there were quite a few requests to be introduced to people in semiconductor jobs. "There are also cases where people ask to be reconnected with someone they previously rejected," she said. A woman living in Seoul’s Gangnam district rejected an SK hynix employee once because the plant was in Icheon, Gyeonggi province, but requested another meeting in May and is now dating, it was reported.

Attitudes among semiconductor workers have also changed. Lee said Samsung and SK hynix employees sign up feeling they are more financially prepared. She added that their standards are rising as they feel they are in a better position. She also cited an example of a female SK hynix engineer in her 40s choosing partners more carefully than in the past.

The semiconductor boom also accounts for a large share of the broader South Korean economy. In May, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix each surpassed $1 trillion in market capitalisation. Semiconductor exports contributed to lifting South Korea’s gross domestic product by 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026, and the KOSPI has risen nearly threefold over the past year.

At the same time, concerns about inequality are growing as the gains from the boom are concentrated among a few. Inha University economics professor Jeong Se-eun (정세은) pointed out that if the wealth gap shifts from a simple income difference to a difference in identity, it could fuel social conflict. The Bank of Korea also warned earlier this month that the semiconductor boom could create a "K-shaped economy" in which some move ahead while others fall behind. It cited worries that profits flowing to high earners may not spread sufficiently across the economy, narrowing paths for upward mobility and weakening motivation to work.

Online backlash from workers in other industries is also spreading. Some employees complained that their motivation had been dampened, referring to the size of Samsung Electronics’ annual bonuses. Others said it would be difficult to match a single year’s bonus at a major company even after working several years at a small and midsize firm. In May, Kim Yong-beom (김용범), chief of policy at the presidential office, proposed on Facebook taxing AI profits to pay citizens an "AI dividend", and debate has continued over whether the benefits of the semiconductor boom should be redistributed.

There are also future variables. The semiconductor industry is known for being highly cyclical. AI investment fervour could cool, rivals could catch up, and automation could still reduce jobs. Samsung Electronics said in March it plans to fully automate semiconductor plants by 2030, followed by pushback from on-site workers.

Even so, the mood on the ground is close to strong confidence. Baek said people now say, "Let’s be buried here," expressing satisfaction with the company. The rise in the value of semiconductor workers driven by the AI chip boom is shaking South Korea’s labour market, consumption, the marriage market and the debate over distribution all at once.