Intel Foundry checks another box in the search for mil-spec fab chips for the US Department of Defense. • The Register

Intel’s Foundry division is one step closer to producing chips for military applications using the upcoming 18A process node.

On Monday, the x86 foundry giant revealed that it had entered the third phase of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes Commercial (RAMP-C) program – a certification that since 2021 because it is necessary for foundries that cook chips for Uncle Sam.

“RAMP-C plans to demonstrate prototype production of Intel 18A chips in 2025 to deliver unprecedented processing performance for the DoD,” said Dev Shenoy, secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and DARPA’s principal director for microelectronics, in a statement canned statement.

Last year, Intel entered phase two of the program and began working with Boeing and Northrop Grumman to design and develop chips based on the upcoming 18A process node. With phase three certification in hand, Intel can now work with a broader ecosystem of RAMP-C customers.

Intel is, of course, no stranger to government contracts. It has previously built prototype parts for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Xeon CPUs and GPUs are featured in the Department of Energy’s Aurora Supercomputer.

But Intel also aims to make chips designed by other military contractors in its Foundry division.

The announcement comes just over a month after Intel Foundry received $8.5 billion in funding under the U.S. CHIPS Act, in addition to an additional $11 billion in loan guarantees, to support the construction of its exciting projects in Arizona and Ohio.

Intel is also said to be building a ‘secret enclave’ to produce chips for the US military – although the Pentagon’s involvement in the project has been questioned.

However, when it comes to supplying Uncle Sam with cutting-edge chips, Intel has been hitting the mark from the start. As we previously reported, GlobalFoundries’ decision to halt development of its 7nm process technology in 2018 left Intel as the only U.S. chipmaker capable of producing industry-leading silicon domestically.

GlobalFoundries remains an important supplier of legacy process technology. Late last year, it signed a 10-year contract worth $3.1 billion to produce chips for use in aerospace and defense. As you might imagine, there are still plenty of military applications that don’t require the cutting edge. ®