Samsung blames Korea's strict labour laws for underwhelming Exynos chips

Samsung's in-house Exynos processors do not enjoy reputation that Qualcomm's Snapdragon, MediaTek's Dimensity, and Apple's A-series chips do. That is because y have often failed to match performance of chips from rival companies. So much so that Samsung is second-guessing its decision to equip upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra with next high-end Exynos chip and reportedly considering using Snapdragon 8 Elite. Samsung has now cited South Korean strict yet progressive labour laws as a reason for inefficiency in Exynos chips.

As reported by Chosun Daily, Samsung has faced challenges in meeting delines due to 52-hour workweek law in Korea, according to which employees must not work beyond 52 hours a week, including 12 hours of overtime, in ir company's official premises. development of Exynos 2500 processor -- Samsung's next flagship chip -- was impeded because its employees h to leave crucial projects unfinished to comply with regulations.

According to a senior engineer at Samsung's mobile application (AP) development team, some key employees have to work off clock, resulting in unrecorded (and unpaid) hours. team often works with 10-20 times fewer employees than those in Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, per report. Since AP team is responsible for chip development to help Samsung take on competition, lack of employees working in office hampers progress.

Samsung has reportedly discussed country's workweek regulations with government, calling it a hindrance to its business as company seeks to compete against international chipmakers. However, industry critics have argued that SK Hynix -- one of world's largest semiconductor suppliers based in Korea -- has stayed competitive in its industry while ensuring compliance with country's laws.

Meanwhile, some employees at Samsung do not blame Korea's 52-hour workweek entirely, arguing that merely extending work hours will not dress Samsung's lull in chip market and bring "corporate innovation."

For what it is worth, Samsung's Exynos chips may take a while before company considers m for its high-end Galaxy S-series phones.