Intel Foundry announced the completion of the Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes - Commercial (RAMP-C) program, which was launched in 2021 to support the development of advanced CMOS technologies and advanced domestic manufacturing in the United States. According to the company, the program helped establish a foundation for expanding trusted semiconductor manufacturing domestically, progressing from ecosystem enablement to prototype testing and production readiness.
The program resulted from collaboration between Intel Foundry and the Microelectronics Office of the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)). Eric Macara, the office’s Microelectronics Program Director, said the collaboration led to the development of advanced domestic infrastructure, enabling commercial companies and the defense industrial base to design and manufacture trusted microelectronics within the United States.
Three Stages for Developing the Ecosystem
Since its launch, RAMP-C has progressed through three main stages:
- Building the foundation: Developing advanced technology, intellectual property, and design tools, while preparing commercial customers and defense industrial base customers to carry out tape-outs for test chips.
- Scaling and customer acquisition: Adding early commercial customers and defense industrial base customers, and expanding the intellectual property and ecosystem solutions required for Intel 18A designs.
- Prototyping and advanced manufacturing: Intel supported tape-outs and the testing of early prototypes for defense industrial base products to demonstrate readiness for secure, scalable manufacturing.
A Path Toward Secure Enclave
The results of RAMP-C position customers to benefit from the Secure Enclave program for secure high-volume manufacturing. The program builds on capabilities established through RAMP-C to expand trusted advanced semiconductor manufacturing for the U.S. government, supporting secure production at scale.
Secure Enclave is also connected to the State-of-the-art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) program, as collaboration with the U.S. Department of War continues to strengthen domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. Intel says these programs provide a model for cooperation that allied governments and international partners can adopt to support supply chain resilience.
The Role of Intel 18A Technology
RAMP-C enabled customers and ecosystem partners to accelerate the transition from development to production readiness using Intel 18A technology. The technology includes RibbonFET transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery technology, which are intended to improve performance per watt and transistor density.
According to Intel, early access to Intel 18A enabled defense industrial base customers to prepare to benefit from Secure Enclave while meeting critical size, weight, and power requirements. The announced result is a path for developing and deploying microelectronics for mission-critical systems without abandoning security and supply chain resilience requirements.
Program Structure and Scope
The program was led by the Trusted and Assured Microelectronics (T&AM) office within the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. The project was funded through the S²MARTS OTA Other Transaction Authority agreement, which gave defense industrial base customers access to Intel 18A technology and advanced packaging technologies from Intel Foundry.
This access includes prototypes and high-volume manufacturing for commercial products and defense industrial base products for the U.S. Department of War. The completion of RAMP-C comes as Intel Foundry continues to increase production of Intel 18A technology, with the aim of providing a reliable, scalable source of advanced microelectronics within the United States.