Intel’s latest round of layoffs may see the company vastly reduce its Washington state presence. The Oregonian is reporting that the chipmaker is closing its DuPont, Wash. offices, and its sources say that there are talks to close its Bellevue offices as well.
The closure comes as Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel prepares to lay off 12,000 people, 11 percent of its workforce, by the middle of next year. An undated page on the Intel site said the company employs 1,000 people in the Washington. However, that number doesn’t seem to include the Redmond or Seattle locations listed on this page. In 2013, the company leased 50,000 square feet in Seattle to consolidate offices around the city.
According to DuPont mayor Mike Courts’ statement to the Oregonian, there isn’t a timeline for the closure. In 2013, the company moved 350 employees from the DuPont offices to Hillsboro, Ore., leaving just over 300 behind in the office designed for 3,000 employees.
The DuPont offices focus on engineering research and product development for business platforms. The Bellevue offices work with Intel’s partners on optimizing integrations.
The closure of the Bellevue office has yet to be confirmed by official sources. Intel declined to discuss the closures, pointing instead to CEO Brian Krzanich’s letter to employees from last week’s layoff announcement.
