Computer Firm to Cut About 1,500 Jobs : Technology: Texas Instruments blames a reduction in demand for its memory chips.

About $25 million would cover the cost of cuts and upgrades in the semiconductor business, while the rest would be split evenly between cost reductions in the information technology group and cost adjustments on fixed-price defense contracts.

The move came later on a day on which the company announced in Japan that it will hire several hundred Japanese scientists and engineers for a new research and development center in Tsukuba, about 40 miles northeast of Tokyo.

Texas Instruments spokeswoman Terri West said the company plans to seek the job reductions as much as possible through voluntary means, such as retirements, early retirements (at age 55), voluntary terminations and “bridged early retirements” for those younger than 55.

Two similar reduction efforts earlier this year resulted in about 2,000 jobs being trimmed from the firm’s corporate and defense systems groups.

The company has about 75,000 employees worldwide, with about 51,000 of those in the United States. About 80% of the U.S. work force is concentrated in Texas.

Reductions will be sought within information technology group operations in Hunt Valley, Md.; Johnson City, Tenn.; North Texas, and the Texas cities of Austin, Temple and Houston.

Semiconductor group reductions will be asked in Dallas.