Samsung on hiring spree to bolster US foundry sales

Samsung Electronics Co. is on a hiring spree for senior sales managers in its foundry business, offering generous compensation packages, as it goes all-in to secure large contract chipmaking orders from US Big Tech firms.

Following the March appointment of ex-TSMC sales executive Margaret Han to lead its US foundry unit in March, Samsung Foundry has posted senior sales manager positions on its website.

For a foundry sales director role based in its San Jose headquarters, Samsung offers a base pay ranging from $200,00 to $319,800, in addition to performance-based incentives.

Samsung is also recruiting a senior manager tasked with foundry customer service. A base pay for the position will vary from $180,950 to $289,050, according to the job description.

Other job openings for the US foundry business include a foundry sales account manager with a base salary of $140,515-$217,485, and a senior research manager offering a base pay of $1670,000-$266,910.

Even after accounting for California's income tax rate of up to 50.3%, the jobs offer significantly higher compensations than comparable positions based in South Korea.

They will be working with Han, a 21-year TSMC veteran with a background in sales, marketing and business development.

Late last year, Samsung promoted Han Jin-man to lead its loss-making foundry business. As of the fourth quarter of 2024, Samsung held just 8.2% of the global foundry market, well behind TSMC's commanding 67.1% share. 

The world’s largest memory chipmaker is betting big on the burgeoning market of application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), or chips tailored to customers' specifications.

Its $17 billion foundry plant under construction in Taylor, Texas, is scheduled for completion either by the end of 2026 or at the latest, in the first half of 2027.

“With yields improving on Samsung’s 2-nanometer fabrication process, the company believes it can secure major foundry clients by ramping up its sales efforts,” said a semiconductor industry official.

According to Market Research Future, an India-based data provider, the global ASIC market is expected to double to $47.8 billion by 2034 from $23.1 billion in 2024. 

Write to Jeong-Soo Hwang at hjs@hankyung.com
Yeonhee Kim edited this article.