Comparative estimates say 45 Trillion Won Could Build About 1.5 Advanced Fab Lines
The union plans to carry out an 18-day general strike beginning on May 21.
Regarding the ‘45 trillion won (approximately $30,20 billion based on won-dollar rate 1,490),’ which is the size of the performance bonus demanded by the Samsung Electronics labor union, comparative data converting this from a future investment perspective is rapidly spreading online. The intent is to visually show that it is not a simple cost, but rather a scale of funds that could be injected into global technological competition and future growth strategies.
According to the business community and online communities on May 19, the data converts the 45 trillion won by applying it to various future business areas such as the construction of semiconductor production lines, global mergers and acquisitions (M&A), artificial intelligence (AI) research and development (R&D), and data center investments.
The most notable item is the construction of cutting-edge foundry production lines (Fab). The industry views that around 30 trillion won is needed to build one advanced semiconductor production line and set up equipment at the level of the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus. Based on this, 45 trillion won corresponds to an investment scale of approximately 1.5 advanced Fabs.
The scale of introducing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment is also substantial. Assuming the price of EUV equipment is at the level of approximately 275 billion won per unit, 45 trillion won can theoretically introduce about 163 units. EUV equipment is considered a core facility in advanced semiconductor processes and is a strategic asset with limited global supply itself.
The sense of scale is also large from a global M&A perspective. Assuming the cost of acquiring a mid-sized global core company is approximately 18 trillion won per case, 45 trillion won is at a level where about 2.5 large-scale mergers and acquisitions can be pursued. The acquisition amount for the United States-based Harman, which Samsung Electronics conducted on its largest scale in the past, was at the level of approximately 9 trillion won.
When converted into AI and next-generation technology R&D investments, the significance grows even larger. Based on an annual future technology R&D budget of 9 trillion won, calculations show that about 5 years’ worth of investment resources can be secured. The industry views that long-term research and development investments are essential to secure future industrial competitiveness such as AI semiconductors, next-generation memory, robots, and biotechnology.
The AI infrastructure sector is the same. If the cost of building a hyper-scale data center is set at the level of approximately 4 trillion won each, it is possible to build about 11 large-scale data centers. Considering that global big tech companies have recently been aggressively expanding data center investments to secure AI learning and cloud infrastructure, it is evaluated as highly symbolic.
The effect of securing talent is also significant. Calculating the average annual salary and welfare cost per person at the level of 150 million won, it is equivalent to the scale of 1 year’s worth of labor costs for about 300,000 people.
However, the data does not mean an actual investment plan or an executable amount. Most of it is comparative data that simply converts industry estimates and publicly known investment cases. Actual semiconductor factory construction costs or data center investment costs can vary greatly depending on the site, process level, equipment configuration, and power infrastructure.
Kim Eun-jin
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