Synopsis:
- Qualcomm has reportedly begun layoffs affecting around 1,500 employees in India.
- Bengaluru is among the first locations impacted by the workforce restructuring.
- CEO Cristiano Amon had announced performance-focused global job cuts in October.
- The move comes as Qualcomm faces smartphone-market pressure and expands into AI, automotive and data-centre technologies.
US semiconductor company Qualcomm has reportedly begun a major workforce reduction in India, with around 1,500 employees expected to be affected as part of an organisational restructuring exercise. The development comes amid a renewed focus on performance, operational efficiency and changing business priorities under CEO Cristiano Amon.
According to a Times of India report published on November 11, 2026, the layoffs are affecting employees across the company’s Indian operations. Qualcomm employs more than 18,000 people in India, making the country one of its most important engineering and semiconductor development centres outside the United States.
The reported job cuts come as the company reassesses its global workforce following an internal announcement about performance-focused reductions.
Qualcomm’s India Workforce Faces Restructuring
The layoffs have brought attention to Qualcomm’s engineering operations in India, particularly its centres in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. The Bengaluru campus is a major hub for developing next-generation wireless, artificial intelligence, computing and system-level technologies.
India also plays a significant role in Qualcomm’s global semiconductor development activities. Its engineering teams contribute to chip design implementation, validation, AI optimisation and system integration.
In February 2026, Qualcomm Technologies announced the successful tape-out of its 2nm semiconductor design, highlighting the capabilities of its engineering teams in India. The project involved collaboration across development centres in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The reported workforce reduction therefore comes at a time when India continues to serve as an important part of Qualcomm’s global engineering network.
CEO Cristiano Amon’s Performance-Focused Job Cuts
The India layoffs follow an internal communication issued by CEO Cristiano Amon in October 2026, in which he informed employees about a global workforce reduction.
According to a Reuters report, Amon described the exercise as a performance-focused reduction following annual employee reviews. The company said decisions would consider business priorities, organizational requirements, and the skills needed for its future operations.
The global restructuring was announced as Qualcomm sought to strengthen its performance culture and align its workforce with changing business requirements. The company had approximately 52,000 employees globally as of September 2025, according to Reuters.
However, Qualcomm has not publicly confirmed the exact number of employees affected by the India exercise. Other media reports have cited estimates of around 1,000 or more potential job cuts, while the Times of India report puts the figure at approximately 1,500.
Smartphone Business Pressure Adds to the Challenge
The restructuring comes as Qualcomm faces pressure in its traditional smartphone chipset business. The global smartphone market has been affected by rising memory costs and weaker demand, creating challenges for semiconductor suppliers.
At the same time, Qualcomm is expanding beyond smartphones into artificial intelligence, automotive technologies, connected devices and data-centre semiconductors.
These businesses represent important areas of potential growth as the company seeks to diversify its revenue base and reduce its dependence on handset-related demand.
The India workforce reduction highlights the adjustments taking place within the global semiconductor industry as companies reassess costs, organisational structures and future technology priorities.
For Qualcomm, the key development to watch will be how the restructuring affects its engineering operations in India while it continues to invest in emerging technology segments.
Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and is not investment advice.
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