Intel Foundry has announced the onboarding of new defense industrial base (DIB) customers, Trusted Semiconductor Solutions and Reliable MicroSystems, as part of the third phase of the Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes - Commercial (RAMP-C) efforts under the Trusted & Assured Microelectronics (T&AM) Program in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)). The RAMP-C project, awarded through the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA), allows DIB customers to take advantage of Intel Foundry's leading-edge Intel 18A process technology and advanced packaging for prototypes and high-volume manufacturing of commercial and DIB products for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

"We are very excited to welcome Trusted Semiconductor Solutions and Reliable MicroSystems to the RAMP-C project we are engaged in with the DoD. The collaboration will drive cutting-edge, secure semiconductor solutions essential for our nation's security, economic growth and technological leadership. We are proud of the pivotal role Intel Foundry plays in supporting U.S. national defense and look forward to working closely with our newest DIB customers to enable their innovations with our leading-edge Intel 18A technology," said Kapil Wadhera, vice president of Intel Foundry and general manager of Aerospace, Defense and Government Business Group.As the only U.S. company that designs and manufactures leading-edge semiconductor technology, Intel plays a critical role in strengthening the country's long-term economic competitiveness and national security. By working together on RAMP-C, Intel Foundry and DoD's T&AM program accelerate the growth of advanced semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. Moreover, Intel Foundry's expansion of 18A fabrication is rebalancing the global supply chain with a trusted, resilient and sustainable source of the most advanced technologies for microelectronics devices.

"RAMP-C continues to promote development of leading-edge microelectronics for both DoD and commercial applications and supports advanced semiconductor design and manufacturing in the U.S. to strengthen national security," said Dr. Catherine Cotell, OUSD (R&E)'s T&AM program manager.
Under the RAMP-C project, Intel Foundry enables strategic customers as well as intellectual property (IP), electronic design automation (EDA) and design services providers that help accelerate design time on Intel Foundry's state-of-the-art technologies.

Intel Foundry and its ecosystem provide a turnkey approach to designing, testing and manufacturing leading-edge chips by offering DIB customers access to the latest process technologies and advanced packaging capabilities.

Enabling DIB customers' early access to leading-edge semiconductor technology is key to meeting the defense industry's critical size, weight and power requirements. Intel 18A, the company's most important transistor innovation since it introduced FinFET (fin field-effect transistor) to high-volume manufacturing in 2011, integrates the company's new PowerVia backside power and RibbonFET gate-all-around (GAA) technologies to significantly improve performance per-watt and density.

DIB customers can also use Intel Foundry's advanced packaging technologies—including embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB), which enables high interconnect density for heterogeneous chips—to meet today's complex computing requirements.

RAMP-C has seen remarkable success since its launch in October 2021, and Intel Foundry has played a pivotal role across its three phases.

• Foundation Building: Led the efforts to develop technology, creating intellectual property and an ecosystem, and preparing customers for test chip tape-outs.
• Expansion and Onboarding: Expanded the customer base by onboarding the first major DIB customers, including Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Intel Foundry continues to ramp IP and ecosystem solutions, enabling new customers to design, develop and tape-out solutions based on Intel 18A process technology.
• Advanced Prototyping and Manufacturing: With the program award in April 2024, Intel Foundry advanced the tape-out and testing of early DIB product prototypes. This phase highlights the readiness of Intel 18A technology for high-volume manufacturing. It also marked the beginning of extensive test chips and multiple commercial and DIB product prototype tape-outs, including for the most recent DIB customers, Trusted Semiconductor Solutions and Reliable MicroSystems.