Microsoft began laying off about 6,000 workers Tuesday, nearly 3% of its entire workforce and its largest job cuts in more than two years as the company spends heavily on artificial intelligence.

Microsoft is about to trim its worldwide workforce by 3%, CNBC reports. The company had around 228,000 employees worldwide as of June, it says, meaning

Microsoft said on Tuesday it was laying off less than 3% of its workforce, or around 6,000 employees, as the technology giant looks to rein in costs while funneling billions of dollars into its ambitious bet on artificial intelligence.