Qualcomm cuts over 1,000 jobs in India as chipmaker restructures operations; severance details emerge

Qualcomm has begun cutting jobs in India, putting its large engineering workforce under scrutiny as the US-based chipmaker restructures its global operations, as per a Moneycontrol report. The first reported round of exits began at its Bengaluru facility on November 9, affecting senior engineers and other employees. The exercise is expected to extend to other key centres, including Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR and Chennai.

The scale of the India cuts, however, remains uncertain. Initial estimates have put the number of potentially affected employees at around 1,000, but other reports suggest the actual figure could be considerably lower. Qualcomm has not publicly disclosed how many positions it plans to eliminate in the country. The uncertainty is significant because India is one of the company’s major engineering and research hubs outside the US, with an estimated 20,000 employees.

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What Qualcomm employees could receive as severance

Employees affected by the restructuring have reportedly been offered severance payments equivalent to three months’ salary, plus additional compensation tied to their tenure. Those who sign their exit documents within three days could receive another month’s salary, according to reports citing people familiar with the matter.

The exact payout may vary depending on individual employment terms. Qualcomm has not officially confirmed the reported severance arrangements.

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The selection process is also understood to involve performance assessments, team-level reviews and decisions by senior management. Some engineering functions, including radio frequency (RF), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) teams, could face reductions.

Why Qualcomm is cutting jobs as it expands into AI

The layoffs follow an October communication from CEO Cristiano Amon, who told employees that Qualcomm would undertake a performance-focused workforce reduction after its annual reviews. The company said decisions would consider business priorities, organisational requirements and the skills needed for future growth.

The restructuring comes as Qualcomm faces pressure in its traditional smartphone business. In its latest quarterly results, handset-chip revenue fell 26% year-on-year to $5.14 billion. At the same time, the company is trying to grow its presence in data centres, AI infrastructure and automotive chips to diversify its revenue.

For employees in India, the immediate concern is the uncertainty around the number of roles affected and whether further rounds of cuts will follow. Qualcomm has not announced a final India headcount reduction.