Intel Foundry secures its first named client: Fortinet.
The two firms revealed a strategic partnership aimed at developing the Fortinet Security Processor 6, the custom silicon utilized in its FortiGate firewalls. Intel will be responsible for the chip design, advanced packaging, and manufacturing.
The initial mention on the list
That last detail is more significant than the chip itself. Intel informed Tom’s Hardware that it will manufacture the SP6 using Intel 4, a process previously designated for its own products, making Fortinet the first external customer recognized for this node.
Additionally, it represents the first corporate foundry client Intel has publicly acknowledged since Tan's appointment in March 2025, as reported by CNBC. In May, Tan informed investors that “multiple customers” were collaborating with the foundry, but he opted not to disclose their identities.
Why Intel needed this
The context involves a company striving to demonstrate its competitiveness against TSMC. In an April filing, Intel stated it was still pursuing a “significant” customer for its most advanced 18A and 14A processes, which are vital to justify the substantial investment in its new fabs. Currently, the foundry's largest confirmed customer is Intel itself, along with the US government.
The agreement would “accelerate and strengthen our ASIC strategy,” according to Fortinet’s founder and CEO Ken Xie. The company has been designing its own chips for two decades, a rarity in an industry that primarily purchases off-the-shelf processors.
A TSMC customer, recruited
For Fortinet, the appeal lies in supply-chain security: an American chip manufactured in an American facility, as stated by The Register. The company led the market in firewall appliance shipments in early 2023, securing a 48% unit share.
There is also a more competitive aspect. The previous chip, the SP5, was produced by TSMC, meaning Intel is attracting a rival’s client, as noted by ServeTheHome. The SP6 is expected to utilize a chiplet design, diverging from the single-block SP5 of 2023. This aligns with a broader trend among tech companies to develop custom silicon.
The caveat
However, upon closer examination, the advantages diminish. Intel 4 is an older technology, not the cutting-edge node Intel urgently needs to promote. There is no defined production timeline or specifications, and the firewall manufacturer will not be a prominent buyer either. Intel only mentioned that further details would be provided later.
The revenue from this deal is also limited. ServeTheHome estimates that it pertains to a portion of a roughly $2 billion hardware business rather than the $10 billion annual target Intel is pursuing. Fortinet was previously linked to Intel’s Xeon supply chain, so this relationship is not entirely new.
What it indicates
Nonetheless, having a recognized customer is still noteworthy. This announcement comes just two days before Intel releases its quarterly earnings, with the stock already experiencing a significant rise this year. Whether this indicates further developments depends on one thing Intel has yet to reveal: a major buyer for its top-tier chips.
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