As reported in July, Intel was expected to cut as many as 15,000 workers as part of a major "overhaul" at the company. The chip giant has about 100,000 employees worldwide.

The bulk of the job cuts were expected in July, but Intel reportedly delayed the move. Instead, the chip giant fired 1,000 managers as part of an effort to cut $1 billion in costs.

Intel's expected—and big —layoffs are supposed to take place on Tuesday (Sept. 5), according to CNET. Intel could cut as many as 10,000 people, according to the online news service.

Meanwhile, in a separate report, The Wall Street Journal projects that Intel could cut as many as 20,000 jobs.

Either way, it's been a tumultuous year so far for Intel. Hit hard by the PC slowdown and stiff competition, Intel in April said that it planned to restructure the company. CEO Paul Otellini told analysts he planned an overhaul that would affect "every part" of the company.

In doing so, Intel has begun to shed its unprofitable operations. The recent sale of Intel's XScale business to Marvell Technology reduced Intel's workforce by 1,400, he said.

Last month, Montreal-based media processing hardware/software vendor Eicon Networks Corp. agreed to buy the assets of Intel's media and signaling business for an undisclosed amount. Intel said the unit employs about 600 workers.

What's next? Research Gartner Inc. believes that Intel will sell its NOR flash memory unit by year end. The operation has lost money for three straight years.

Wedbush Morgan Securities predicts that Intel will sell the NOR unit to Micron Technology Inc. In May, American Technology Research speculated that Intel would spin off or sell the unit. At the time, Intel denied that assertion.

The problem for Intel is clear: It has failed to expand beyond its x86-based microprocessor business. And even its core processor is under pressure from rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Intel recently expanded its efforts in the server market—and for good reason. For some time, the chip giant has been losing market share in the server segment to AMD.

To reverse its fortunes, Intel recently rolled out its new Woodcrest processor line, based on the Core 2 Duo architecture. Woodcrest processors target dual-processor servers, while the Tulsa chips are for high-end systems. The Tulsa processors were launched this week.

Last month, Intel rolled out 10 microprocessors, including its next-generation devices codenamed Conroe and Merom. They are intended for the desktop and notebook markets, respectively.