Intel Foundry finishes RAMP-C, paving the way for scaled secure production on Intel 18A

Intel Foundry has completed the Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes - Commercial (RAMP-C) program, an effort launched in 2021 to accelerate domestic, leading-edge semiconductor development and manufacturing for U.S. needs. Intel said the program’s end marks a transition from ecosystem enablement and prototype development toward production readiness for “trusted” microelectronics, with Secure Enclave positioned as the next step for secure, high-volume manufacturing.

RAMP-C was launched in September 2021 and led to measurable progress across three phases, Intel said, moving partners from early design enablement to validated prototypes. The company framed the program as part of a broader pathway to help commercial companies and the defense industrial base design and fabricate trusted microelectronics onshore, with an emphasis on improving warfighting capabilities and supply-chain resilience.

In a statement, Eric Makara, program manager for Microelectronics at OUSW(R&E), said the collaboration between the DoW and Intel “has led to the successful development” of state-of-the-art, leading-edge domestic semiconductor technology and the design-enablement infrastructure needed to bring trusted microelectronics “on shore.” Intel did not provide additional performance metrics in the release, but it described the outcome as infrastructure and process access that can be repeatedly used as new customers move from prototype to production.

The program was awarded through the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA), according to Intel. An OTA is a contracting mechanism used by the U.S. government to support specific projects outside traditional federal procurement rules. Intel said the OTA framework enabled defense-industry and other customers to access Intel Foundry’s Intel 18A process technology and advanced packaging for prototypes and for eventual high-volume manufacturing of commercial and defense products for the U.S. DoW.

Intel linked RAMP-C’s progress to its ramp to high-volume fabrication using Intel 18A. Intel 18A is the company’s leading-edge process technology, and the release highlighted two elements designed to improve performance per watt and density: RibbonFET, and PowerVia. RibbonFET refers to a transistor structure intended to improve drive characteristics, while PowerVia is a power-delivery approach intended to support higher power efficiency. Intel said early access to Intel 18A positioned DIB customers to use Secure Enclave while meeting stringent size, weight and power requirements.

Beyond the transistor and process work, Intel tied the program to advanced chip packaging and scaling techniques. The release discussed how Intel Foundry uses Foveros stacking, EMIB silicon bridges, and EMIB-T to scale chiplets, bypass reticle limits, and support massive AI workloads. It also said the Secure Enclave effort builds on the State-of-the-art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) program, another DoW collaboration aimed at strengthening domestic semiconductor capabilities.

Intel described Secure Enclave as expanding trusted manufacturing of leading-edge semiconductors for the U.S. government, with “secure, at scale production.” The company said RAMP-C helps bring customers to a point where they can leverage Secure Enclave, specifically by moving “from prototype to production readiness” using Intel 18A. Intel also framed this as a repeatable pathway for advanced microelectronics used in mission-critical systems without compromising security or supply-chain resilience.

Taken together, Intel portrayed RAMP-C and Secure Enclave as part of a U.S.-led model that could be adopted by allied governments to improve supply-chain resilience. The release emphasized that Intel’s role is central because it is the only U.S. company that researches, develops, and manufactures leading-edge semiconductor technology. Intel did not name additional partner companies in the release, but it said the program included collaboration with ecosystem partners and tied design access to manufacturing readiness.

Even with the program declared complete, Intel did not disclose specific production volumes, customer list details, or timeline targets for how quickly Secure Enclave capacity will scale. The release also did not provide a breakdown of what percentage of customers reached each phase, or any cost, yield, or performance results tied directly to RAMP-C deliverables. For investors and industry watchers, the key question remains how quickly prototype-qualified designs convert into production orders using Intel 18A and the associated packaging stack.

Next, market attention is likely to focus on how Intel translates RAMP-C-linked customer enablement into Secure Enclave throughput, and whether more defense and commercial programs expand their use of Intel 18A for trusted manufacturing. The company’s ability to sustain high-volume ramp on a leading-edge node, while meeting security requirements for mission-critical systems, could become a bellwether for how domestic trusted semiconductor capacity evolves.