科技英语新闻:Chipmaker AMD to cut workforce by 10 percent

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Computer chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) on Thursday said it plans to cut its global workforce by about 10 percent in a move to reduce operational costs.

The layoff will occur across all functions globally and is expected to be substantially completed by the end of the first quarter of 2012, the company said.

The cuts will amount to about 1,400 jobs, according to estimates by analysts.

Combined with implementing efficiencies across the company's operations, AMD expected that the workforce reduction will result in operational savings of more than 200 million U.S. dollars in 2012.

"Reducing our cost structure and focusing our global workforce on key growth opportunities will strengthen AMD's competitiveness and allow us to aggressively pursue a balanced set of strategic activities designed to accelerate future growth," Rory Read, AMD's chief executive officer, said in a statement.

As the world's second largest maker of processors for computers, AMD has been suffering from the slowdown of global PC market and is seen as slow to move into new mobile device market.

The operational savings will help accelerate the company's future growth in lower power, emerging markets and in the cloud computing field, AMD said.