Intel Foundry has been trying to convince the world it belongs in the same conversation as TSMC. On July 21, it got its clearest piece of evidence yet: a manufacturing partnership with Fortinet, the cybersecurity hardware giant, to produce a next-generation security chip using Intel’s foundry services.
The deal makes Fortinet the first named corporate customer for Intel Foundry under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who took the top job in March 2025.
Why this deal is a bigger signal than it looks
The chip in question will be built on Intel’s foundry processes, with Intel’s 18A node currently in production and its 14A technology slated for later this decade. Fortinet producing a security-focused chip on leading-edge silicon puts Intel’s process technology directly into one of the fastest-growing segments of enterprise hardware.
Fortinet isn’t Intel Foundry’s only recent win
The Fortinet announcement lands alongside existing momentum from Microsoft, which previously disclosed plans to develop a custom chip design using Intel’s 18A process. Two named clients from two different verticals, cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure, gives Intel Foundry something it has been working to build: a portfolio story.
Tan’s strategy since arriving in March 2025 has centered on closing specific deals with named companies on specific process nodes. The Fortinet deal fits that playbook cleanly.
What investors and competitors should watch
The cybersecurity hardware angle is worth watching separately. Governments and enterprises globally are under pressure to reduce dependence on chips manufactured in geopolitically sensitive regions. Intel’s US-based and European manufacturing footprint gives it a compliance argument that TSMC, however technically superior, cannot easily replicate.
The 14A process node, which sits beyond the current 18A production line, will be the real test of whether Intel can compete at the frontier of semiconductor manufacturing. Fortinet and Microsoft commitments on 18A buy Intel time and revenue to reach that milestone.