DoD Taps Intel Foundry for Phase Three of Domestic 18A Chip Program

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Intel Foundry Phase Three of its Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes – Commercial (RAMP-C) program, clearing the path for tape-out and testing of early defense chips built on Intel's 18A process technology.

The April 22, 2024 announcement marks a critical step in the Pentagon's effort to restore domestic leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign foundries for military-grade processors.

Onshore Access to Leading-Edge Technology

Phase Three enables the defense industrial base to move from design to prototype production using Intel's 18A node, one of the industry's most advanced manufacturing processes. The program aims to demonstrate working 18A chips for Defense Department applications in 2025.

"RAMP-C is an important project for Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Microelectronics as it provides access to leading-edge Intel 18A technology onshore, which is critical for the security of U.S. military systems and platforms," said Dr. Dev Shenoy, Principal Director for Microelectronics in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

For Intel, the award validates its foundry strategy. "For the first time in decades, U.S. government and defense industrial base customers will have access to one of the industry's leading-edge process technologies at the same time as commercial customers," said Kapil Wadhera, Intel's Vice President for Foundry Services.

Building a Trusted Domestic Ecosystem

The RAMP-C program was created by the DoD in January 2021 through the S2MARTS OTA vehicle, managed by NSWC Crane and executed via the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL). Its mission: establish a resilient, trusted commercial foundry ecosystem within the United States.

Phase Two onboarded Boeing and Northrop Grumman to develop defense solutions based on Intel 18A technology. Phase Three expands that work to actual tape-out and prototype testing, moving beyond design studies into physical chip production.

National Security Implications

The initiative addresses a longstanding vulnerability in U.S. defense supply chains. Advanced chips for military systems have increasingly depended on overseas manufacturing, particularly TSMC's facilities in Taiwan. By integrating the defense industrial base with commercial leading-edge technology produced on American soil, the Pentagon aims to secure both performance parity and supply chain assurance for critical platforms.

The 2025 prototype timeline aligns with Intel's broader 18A production roadmap, positioning the foundry to serve both commercial and government customers with comparable technology access—a convergence not seen in the domestic semiconductor industry for decades.