Intel has secured a partnership with cybersecurity firm Fortinet to co-develop and manufacture a next-generation firewall ASIC on the Intel 4 process, giving the node its first named external customer since Intel launched its foundry services business.
The deal positions Intel Foundry as a viable alternative for security-focused chip manufacturing, with Fortinet citing Intel 4’s performance-per-watt characteristics as critical for high-throughput packet inspection and threat detection workloads. The ASIC will be purpose-built for Fortinet’s next-generation firewall appliances targeting enterprise and hyperscale data center deployments.
Intel 4, the company’s first process node to leverage extreme ultraviolet lithography extensively, entered high-volume manufacturing in 2023 and powers Intel’s own Meteor Lake processors. The node uses finFET transistors with enhanced color step efficiency and improved metal stacks for higher frequency operation.
For Intel’s foundry ambitions, the Fortinet win provides a credible external reference customer on a node that analysts had characterized as lacking third-party adoption. Foundry chief Pat Gelsinger has set aggressive targets for Intel to become the world’s second-largest foundry by 2030, with Intel 4, 3, and 18A serving as the backbone of that push.
