US-based semiconductor company Qualcomm has begun laying off employees in India as part of a global workforce restructuring, with around 1,000 jobs potentially at risk, although the actual number of employees affected remains unclear.

The first round of job cuts began at the company’s Bengaluru facility on Monday, November 9, according to reports. The exercise is expected to be carried out in phases across the company’s Indian operations.

However, estimates of the number of employees affected remain disputed. While estimates suggest that around 1,000 or slightly more jobs could be affected in India, sources told Investing.com that the actual number is expected to be significantly lower.

Qualcomm has not publicly confirmed the number of employees being laid off in the country.

India is one of Qualcomm’s largest engineering and research bases outside the US, with approximately 20,000 employees. The company has major engineering and research and development facilities in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR and Chennai.

The job cuts follow an internal communication from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in October, in which he described the exercise as a “performance-focused reduction”.

In a memo reviewed by Reuters, Amon told employees that the company would undertake workforce reductions following its annual employee reviews.

The move was aimed at building a stronger performance culture and addressing situations where employees had consistently fallen short of expectations.

The memo did not disclose how many employees would be affected globally. Notifications were expected to begin in November.

The restructuring comes as Qualcomm faces challenges in its core smartphone chip business amid weakening consumer electronics demand and rising memory prices.

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