Intel wants to become closer to the market

Anonymous industry sources whispered to DigiTimes that a third wave of layoffs at Intel is imminent. This is part of Intel's previously announced plan to lay off 12,000 employees worldwide, about 11 percent of the firm's workforce. The first two waves of layoffs since the announcement in April focused mainly on Intel's mobile devices unit and product lines with "unsatisfactory performance" or "lack of business potential".

The next wave will reportedly target Intel's worldwide sales and marketing divisions. The website says Intel plans to tighten its channel sales and marketing to "help clearly define responsibilities and management coverage".

At the same time, Intel will also implement a new reporting system to become closer to the market and accelerate its pace on new product R&D and time to market:

Meanwhile, Intel will also adjust its reporting system. In the future, branches in each country will report directly to the US headquarters instead of regional headquarters such as Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific or Latin America. First-tier brand vendors such as Hewlett-Packard (HP), Lenovo, Dell, Asustek Computer and Acer will be assigned specific teams at the US headquarters to handle their relationships with Intel. Smaller vendors will be handled by each country's branch office which will report back to the US.