If the number of redundancies is large, they could affect Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to develop AR/VR devices. Credit: XR Expo/Unsplash.

Meta Platforms is looking to axe jobs in its metaverse-focused custom chip division, reported Reuters, citing sources.

A post on the internal discussion board Workplace of Meta informed staff members of the layoffs.

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According to one of the people, the post stated that they will be informed of their employment status with the organisation by Wednesday, 4 October 2023.

A representative for the company declined to comment on the news.

The news agency said it could not ascertain the size of the cuts to the Facebook Agile Silicon Team, or FAST.

If the number of redundancies is large, they could affect Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to develop augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) devices.

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With a team of some 600 people, the FAST division is focused on developing specialised chips to power Meta’s AR/VR products.

However, Meta has had difficulty producing chips that can compete with silicon made by outside suppliers.

It has partnered with Qualcomm to build processors for its products that are available in the market.

A restructuring of the FAST division was expected since Meta appointed a new leader to manage the division.

An artificial intelligence (AI)-focused chip-making unit within Meta’s infrastructure business is also facing difficulties.  

Last week, Alexis Black Bjorlin, the CEO of the AI chip design unit, said she will quit the company. However, Meta has named a replacement to carry on with those initiatives in her place.

Separately, Mint, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that Meta intends to begin charging European customers around $14 per month for an ad-free membership to Facebook and Instagram.

In the upcoming months, Meta plans to begin rolling out the subscription no ads (SNA) plan for European customers, providing them with the option of continuing to use Facebook and Instagram with personalised ads or paying for their services without any ads.