Roughly 12,000 MediaTek employees are expected to qualify for bonuses for the second half of 2025, with the total payout estimated at NT$11.4 billion (about $363 million). That works out to an average bonus of around NT$950,000 per employee (roughly $30,247) for H2 2025. The attention-grabbing detail is that this average is said to be 15.7 percent lower than the bonus level from the first half of 2025, fueling speculation that MediaTek is bracing for a tougher stretch ahead.
MediaTek reportedly issues bonuses twice a year, and the exact amount each person receives can vary based on factors like department, job level, and performance reviews. While the report doesn’t directly explain why the second-half bonuses are smaller, the timing lines up with broader pressure across the supply chain—especially the ongoing DRAM, NAND, and storage-related shortages that can limit device production and, in turn, reduce chipset demand and shipments.
That risk matters even more because MediaTek’s business mix still leans heavily toward smartphone chips. In Q4 2025, smartphone chipset revenue was reported to make up 59 percent of the company’s total, underscoring how dependent MediaTek remains on one major category. With component constraints continuing to affect the market, another industry report suggested MediaTek could be among the companies hit hardest by the current shortage environment.
The company has been working to diversify into additional segments, but it takes time for those newer businesses to meaningfully reduce reliance on mobile chipsets. Until that transition is further along, any slowdown in smartphone-related shipments can ripple through financial expectations—and that may help explain why MediaTek’s H2 2025 bonus pool appears more conservative than H1.
Looking ahead, MediaTek is expected to introduce the Dimensity 9600 later this year, described as the company’s first 2nm chipset. But leading-edge manufacturing alone won’t determine whether MediaTek can keep shipment momentum. Architectural upgrades, performance gains, and overall platform competitiveness will matter just as much—especially in the premium tier, where pricing can influence how aggressively phone makers adopt a new flagship SoC. If MediaTek can position its premium chip below competing high-end Snapdragon offerings, it could strengthen its appeal to manufacturers looking to balance performance and cost.
Even with expectations that MediaTek will remain a chipset market leader through 2026, the company isn’t insulated from the DRAM and NAND crunch. If memory and storage constraints continue to restrict device builds, annual chipset shipments could still decline, regardless of how strong new silicon looks on paper. And if those conditions don’t improve, bonus levels could remain under pressure, keeping payouts flat or cautious until the broader component situation stabilizes.
