Qualcomm plans to cut jobs globally starting in November, aiming to strengthen performance as smartphone demand softens, according to Benzinga.
The San Diego-based chipmaker designs Snapdragon processors, cellular modems and related software, and licenses patents underpinning 3G, 4G and 5G standards, generating about $44.3 billion in revenue in fiscal 2025.
Chief executive Cristiano Amon outlined the plan in an internal memo following annual performance reviews, saying the cuts are meant to build "a stronger performance culture" in areas where the company has fallen short of expectations.
Qualcomm has not disclosed how many jobs will be affected, which divisions or locations will be hit, or what share of its workforce the cuts represent; the company employed roughly 52,000 people as of September 2025.
The move follows a weaker third fiscal quarter, with revenue of $9.95 billion, down 4% year over year, and adjusted earnings per share falling 20% to $2.21.
Rising memory prices have pushed up device costs and pressured smartphone sales, compounding pressure on Qualcomm's handset business even as it pushes into automotive and data-centre chips; automotive revenue rose 61% year over year, though that growth has not offset softness in handsets.
Qualcomm is targeting roughly $5 billion in data-centre revenue next fiscal year, up from about $300 million this year, as it builds out custom hyperscale silicon and AI inference accelerators.
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