Chip workers are winning big from the AI boom, as TSMC's staff bonuses grow faster than the company's own sales.

• TSMC handed out about NT$36 billion in employee bonuses last quarter, up 50% from a year earlier.
• That growth beat the company's sales growth of 36% over the same period, showing how fast talent costs are climbing.
• The bonus pool still eats only a small slice of operating profit, so the payouts are not squeezing earnings.
• Rival SK Hynix in South Korea is spending even more aggressively, with talk of a bonus pool worth billions of dollars plus expanded staff benefits.

Outlook: Expect chipmakers to keep raising pay and perks as the fight for AI engineers spreads beyond technology and factory capacity.