Fortinet names Intel foundry for next security chip

Fortinet will use Intel’s contract manufacturing arm to build its next-generation SP6 security chip, the companies said Tuesday, making the cybersecurity group the first corporate foundry customer named since Lip-Bu Tan became Intel chief executive in March 2025. An Intel representative told CNBC the chip will be produced on Intel 4, an established process rather than the company’s most advanced manufacturing technology.

The announcement gives Intel a public customer win in its effort to turn its factories into a broader foundry business for outside chip designers. The commercial impact is more limited than a commitment on Intel’s leading-edge nodes, which are the focus of investor scrutiny because they require large capital spending on fabrication plants in the US and overseas.

Intel seeks proof of foundry demand

Intel said in an April filing that it was still seeking a “significant” customer for its most advanced manufacturing technology. Those leading processes, called 14A and 18A, are designed for high-performance processors and are central to Intel’s plan to compete more directly with large contract chipmakers.

Intel 4 is older than those nodes and is used for less complex chips, including application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, for networking. An ASIC is a chip designed for a defined workload, rather than a general-purpose processor. For Fortinet, that means silicon tailored to security functions in its products.

Tan told CNBC’s Jim Cramer in May that several customers were working with Intel’s foundry, while saying he does not disclose customer names as a personal policy. A named customer is relevant for Intel because chip designers often look for evidence that a manufacturing partner can deliver products reliably and at scale before committing their own designs.

Intel’s largest confirmed foundry customer remains Intel itself. The US government also uses the foundry to make chips for defense applications, according to CNBC.

Earlier partnerships and unconfirmed reports

Under former chief executive Pat Gelsinger, Microsoft announced in 2024 that it would work with Intel to manufacture an unspecified processor. Amazon later said it would use Intel to make a custom artificial intelligence chip, though CNBC reported those deals involved relatively low-volume chips.

Intel said in April that it would work with Google on the design of an ASIC it calls an infrastructure processing unit. The company has also said it is helping Elon Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX build a chip factory known as Terafab.

President Donald Trump said in June that Apple would use Intel to manufacture chips in the US. CNBC reported that neither Apple nor Intel has formally confirmed such an agreement.

The US government took a 10% stake in Intel in August, according to CNBC. The chipmaker’s shares have risen more than 300% over the past year, while Fortinet shares have more than doubled this year. CNBC’s market data showed Intel up 5.80% after hours and Fortinet up 1.64% after hours in the quoted session.

Intel is due to report second-quarter results after the market closes on Thursday.

Fortinet extends ASIC investment

Fortinet is smaller and less widely known than Apple, Tesla or large cloud-computing groups, but it operates in a market supported by demand for advanced cybersecurity tools. On its May earnings call, Fortinet said it would continue investing in ASIC technology.

The companies did not disclose financial terms, expected production volumes or a timetable for the SP6 chip. They also did not say whether the agreement could expand to other Fortinet products or future Intel manufacturing processes.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.