U.S.-based tech giant Microsoft said Wednesday that it will lay off about 9,000 employees, the largest layoff since 2023.
According to local media reports, the move will affect less than 4 percent of its global workforce, which totals about 228,000 employees.
Microsoft has had several rounds of layoffs this year, including a nearly 1-percent cut of employees in January, a layoff of over 6,000 in May and at least 300 more in June.
For the quarter ending March 31, Microsoft's revenue was reported as 70.07 billion U.S. dollars, representing a 13-percent increase year-over-year, which exceeded analysts' expectations. The company's net income also surpassed estimates, reaching 25.82 billion dollars, or 3.46 dollars per share.
Currently, Microsoft is streamlining management and using artificial intelligence tools to enhance employees' work efficiency. Its executives said earlier this year that 20 to 30 percent of Microsoft's code is generated by AI, while the company is making big investments in AI facilities.
Microsoft to lay off around 9,000 employees
Microsoft to lay off around 9,000 employees
Microsoft to lay off around 9,000 employees
China has recently made a breakthrough in deploying embodied AI robots for specialized purposes in high-risk environments, marking a significant step forward for the country's intelligent equipment industry.
One of the newly applied robots features humanoid dual arms, magnetic wall-climbing capability, and large-scale AI models, allowing it to replace human workers on hazardous tasks such as welding, flaw detection, and rust removal on chemical storage tanks, ships, and energy facilities.
Meanwhile, the robot is cable-powered, enabling continuous operation without battery limitations.
"Behind this robot is China's largest large-scale model for special-purpose robots. To train the model, our robots have accumulated over 100,000 hours of operation. They have covered a total working distance of 22,500 kilometers, more than half the Earth's equatorial circumference, and have operated across an accumulated area of over 5,000 square kilometers. The vast and rich amount of data has allowed the robot to learn extensively and become increasingly intelligent," said Pu Xiao, head of a special-purpose robot research and development team.
In addition, a land-based inspection robot has also been put into use.
It features a robust and highly flexible 6-axis robotic arm, capable of replacing human workers in dangerous scenarios such as fires or toxic gas leaks to perform tasks like shutting off switches or turning valves.
The robot can also detect fires or faults within a range of 2,000 meters, issue timely warnings, and help minimize potential dangers.
China deploys embodied AI robots in high-risk environments to perform dangerous tasks.
