Intel lets go of 2,000 staff at Oregon R&D site, offices in Texas, Arizona, California

Intel this week handed out pink slips to more than 2,000 workers across the United States.

The latest of these job cuts saw 1,300 people let go at Intel's Hillsboro offices – a crucial research and development hub where many of the chipmaker's next-gen parts get their start.

First reported by the Oregonian on Tuesday, the layoffs are part of a massive staffing reduction that Intel announced in August following a disastrous second quarter. The job cuts will see the x86 giant cut 15 percent of its global workforce.

The layoffs in Oregon represent a little over five percent of Intel's workforce in the state, which totaled [PDF] 23,000 employees at the start of the year. However, this figure may not encompass the full scope of staff reductions hitting the R&D hub – including staff buyouts and early retirements, the brain drain could be even more ...