Intel has no plans to cut Irish workforce

Craig Barrett told RTÉ News that Intel can be competitive in a high-cost environment like Ireland or the US as the company is more sensitive to capital costs than labour costs, which he said had been an issue for computer manufacturer Dell.

He said the company had recently announced a programme of job cuts at a number of plants, but that no jobs were to go in Ireland.

But he warned that in the current economic conditions, remaining competitive is harder than ever.

Later today, Intel will announce details of a multi-million euro investment in research and development at a number of laboratories across Europe, including NUI Maynooth.

The five to seven year pan-European research programme will be managed from Intel's Leixlip plant.