Boeing and Northrop Grumman are participating in a defense industry semiconductor program using Intel Foundry.

Intel Foundry Services announced on the 19th that two new Defense Industry Base (DIB) customers, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, have joined Phase 2 of the U.S. Department of Defense’s RAMP-C program to manufacture advanced semiconductors needed for national security.

Customers can participate in Phase 2 of the RAMP-C program to leverage Intel 18A process technology, industry-standard electronic design and analysis tools, and intellectual property (IP). Additionally, they can design, tape out, and fabricate test chips to prepare for product design tape-out.

Kapil Wadhera, Intel’s Vice President of Foundry Services and General Manager of the Foundry Solutions Business Group, said, “We welcome Boeing and Northrop Grumman to the RAMP-C program.” “We will develop and support leading semiconductor solutions to enable Boeing and Northrop Grumman to successfully achieve the objectives of the U.S. Department of Defense and national security systems by utilizing Intel’s 18A process technology,” he said. “Intel will strengthen the semiconductor supply chain within the United States and strive to help the U.S. maintain its leading position in process technology research and development, advanced manufacturing, and microelectronics systems.”

The RAMP-C program supports the U.S. commercial semiconductor foundry ecosystem in producing leading custom integrated circuits and commercial products required for U.S. Department of Defense systems.

Boeing and Northrop Grumman can leverage cutting-edge technology for the development of U.S. national security-related products by working closely with current RAMP-C customers such as NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Microsoft, and IBM, as well as Intel and ecosystem partners such as Cadence and Synopsys.

The RAMP-C program enables commercial foundry customers and the U.S. Department of Defense to utilize Intel's leading process technologies and supports the establishment of an ecosystem for cutting-edge process technologies, including Intel 18A, for commercial and government customers. Intel 18A process development is proceeding as planned, and RAMP-C program customers are currently developing test chips.

Intel is working to strengthen the U.S. government's microelectronics supply chain and further reinforce the U.S.'s leading position in integrated circuit (IC) design, manufacturing, and packaging. Intel is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense on three separate programs: RAMP, RAMP-C, and SHIP.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced the RAMP program in 2020 with the goal of developing the ability to securely utilize cutting-edge microelectronics technology and producing prototypes without relying on closed security architecture manufacturing processes or facilities. The prime contractor is Microsoft, and Intel provides foundry services based on Intel 16 process technology.

Intel signed a Phase 2 contract with the U.S. Department of Defense for the Advanced Heterogeneous Integration Prototype (SHIP) program and delivered the first multi-chip package prototype to BAE Systems in April 2023. The SHIP program supports the U.S. government in developing new approaches to measurable, secure heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging solutions by leveraging Intel's advanced U.S. semiconductor packaging capabilities.