One of Oregon’s largest private employers is permanently cutting over 500 jobs, according to a notice filed with the state.
Global computer chip firm Intel will lay off 529 engineers, technicians and other positions at its major campus in Hillsboro and another location in Aloha.
The move is part of Intel’s efforts to become a more efficient company, a spokesperson said in an email to OPB.
“We are making these decisions based on careful consideration of what’s needed to position our business for the future,” the email said, “and we will treat people with care and respect as we complete this important work.”
The affected employees have been notified of the layoffs, or will be soon, according to the notice sent to Oregon officials. James Warner, director of corporate people movement at Intel, said in the required notice that layoffs will take place over a two-week period ending on July 15. Workers are given around four weeks notice, the filing said, and will get pay and other benefits for nine more weeks.
Intel is one of the world’s biggest semiconductor companies with expertise in designing, developing and manufacturing the computer chips essential to modern day electronics. The chipmaker is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, but the Hillsboro campus acts as the company’s research and development hub.
However, as artificial intelligence expands, Intel has lost ground in recent years to other major chip makers focused on creating AI-capable semiconductors. In October, Intel cut 1,300 jobs in Oregon as part of a larger effort to trim 15% of the company’s global workforce.
Still, Intel remains among Oregon’s top employers with around 20,000 workers in the state.
In December, CEO Pat Gelsinger abruptly retired after spending four years running the semiconductor firm. The following month, Intel reported a nearly $19 billion loss in fiscal year 2024.
Semiconductor industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan took over as CEO in March, vowing to create a leaner company focused on innovation. In an April earnings call, Tan foreshadowed the layoffs confirmed in Tuesday’s official notice to the state.
“Organizational complexity and bureaucracies have been suffocating the innovation and agility we need to win,” Tan told investors on the April call. “It takes too long for decisions to get made. New ideas and people who generate them have not been given the room or resources to incubate and grow. The unnecessary silos have led to bad execution. I’m here to fix this.”
