Intel may cut up to 10 per cent of its work force as early as next Tuesday, according to reports in the United States.
Earlier this month, the company completed a three-month review of its operations aimed at saving it $1 billion a year and making it more competitive with rival Advanced Micro Devices.
Analysts have said Intel is almost certainly preparing to cut its 100,000-strong work force, and the size and timing of the cuts have been a topic of speculation in recent weeks.
Intel employs over 5,000 people in Ireland - the majority working at the company's chip manufacturing facility in Leixlip, Co Kildare.
A Intel spokesman declined to comment on the specifics of the report.
Previous estimates by Wall Street analysts have put the size of the cuts anywhere from a few thousand to 16,000 employees.
The cuts would be the latest in a string of actions taken by Intel chief executive Paul Otellini to try to restart growth at the company, which posted a 56 per cent drop in net profit for its second quarter.
In July, Intel fired 1,000 managers in its biggest work-force reduction in four years. The company has also moved to jettison unprofitable units.