# Intel and Fortinet make the security ASIC a foundry test

Source: TechNewsList (https://technewslist.com)
Canonical URL: https://technewslist.com/en/article/intel-fortinet-sp6-security-asic-2026-08-04-morning
Section: Hardware (https://technewslist.com/en/hardware)
Author: TechNewsList
Language: en
Published: 2026-08-04T05:13:57.047+00:00
Updated: 2026-08-04T05:13:57.219302+00:00

> The Intel-Fortinet SP6 collaboration is about more than a firewall chip: it tests Intel's ability to combine custom silicon, advanced packaging, manufacturing, and supply-chain resilience for an external customer.

## TL;DR
- Intel and Fortinet announced a strategic collaboration on Fortinet Security Processor 6.
- The work combines Fortinet's purpose-built security ASIC expertise with Intel design, packaging, and manufacturing capabilities.
- The deal gives Intel a concrete external-customer story for its broader foundry ambitions.
- For Fortinet, supply-chain diversity and control over networking performance are as important as raw process technology.
- The key proof points will be tape-out, production timing, performance, and whether more external customers follow.

## Key points
- The companies announced the SP6 collaboration on July 21, 2026.
- Intel says the work will use its design, packaging, and manufacturing capabilities.
- Fortinet has built proprietary security processors for more than two decades.
- The partnership is framed as both a performance and supply-chain resilience move.
- Neither company disclosed a production schedule or detailed process node in the announcement.

# Intel and Fortinet make the security ASIC a foundry test

A firewall processor is not usually treated as a referendum on a semiconductor company's manufacturing strategy. Intel's expanded collaboration with Fortinet makes it one. The two companies are developing Fortinet Security Processor 6, or SP6, by combining Fortinet's purpose-built security silicon with Intel's design, packaging, and manufacturing capabilities.

The July 21 announcement is deliberately broad on specifications and timing, but its strategic message is clear. Fortinet wants more control and resilience around the processors that differentiate its security appliances. Intel wants to show that its manufacturing and packaging capabilities can serve a named external customer, not only its own product roadmap.

## What happened

Intel and Fortinet described SP6 as a strategic collaboration that expands a long-standing relationship. Fortinet brings decades of experience designing ASICs for network security. Intel brings semiconductor design, advanced packaging, manufacturing, and a global supply-chain footprint. The companies say the arrangement should accelerate SP6 development and diversify Fortinet's sourcing.

![Contextual editorial image for Intel and Fortinet make the security ASIC a foundry test Intel Fortinet Fortinet Security Processor 6 SP6 FortiGate Intel Newsroom Tom's Hardware Intel Newsroom technology news](https://www.convequity.com/content/images/size/w1200/2025/11/Fortinet-Update_November-2025-1.png)
*Contextual visual selected for this TechPulse story.*

The announcement does not specify a launch date, final production node, die configuration, or performance target. Independent reporting has connected the project to Intel 4, which would make it notable as an external use of a process Intel has mostly used for its own products. That detail remains more specific than the companies' public release, so the production roadmap should be treated as a watch item rather than a confirmed shipping schedule.

## Why it matters

Security appliances are increasingly specialized systems. They need to inspect traffic, apply rules, handle encryption, detect threats, and move data at high speed without consuming the general-purpose compute budget of the host platform. A custom processor can make those workloads more predictable and more power-efficient than a software-only design.

For Fortinet, the partnership is about performance and resilience at the same time. A strong ASIC roadmap is a product advantage, but dependence on one manufacturing route can become a business risk when capacity, geopolitics, packaging, or component availability changes. A second capable partner can give the company more options, although new manufacturing relationships also introduce validation and yield risk.

For Intel, SP6 is a customer proof point. The foundry business needs external designs that reach production, not just announcements about capacity. A security processor is a demanding but manageable test: it requires custom architecture, high-volume networking behavior, reliability, and an ecosystem of firmware and software. Success could help Intel argue that it can support specialized chips outside the consumer and data-center CPU markets.

## Technical details

The technical center of the deal is the combination of Fortinet's architecture with Intel's manufacturing stack. A modern security processor is shaped by more than transistor density. Packaging, memory access, I/O, thermal limits, and the ability to connect the chip to the rest of the appliance determine the actual product. Intel's emphasis on design and advanced packaging reflects that reality.

![Contextual editorial image for Intel and Fortinet make the security ASIC a foundry test Intel Fortinet Fortinet Security Processor 6 SP6 FortiGate Intel Newsroom Tom's Hardware Intel Newsroom technology news](https://cioinfluence.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Fortinet-Unveils-New-ASIC-to-Accelerate-the-Convergence-of-Networking-and-Security-Across-Every-Network-Edge.jpg)
*Contextual visual selected for this TechPulse story.*

The development process will likely involve architecture partitioning, interface validation, security review, firmware integration, and a long qualification cycle. Fortinet must ensure that the new processor works with its FortiOS software, management tools, threat-intelligence services, and hardware platform. Intel must deliver predictable process performance and manufacturing quality while supporting a customer whose product cycles may not match Intel's own.

The partnership also raises the question of where the value sits. If the process technology is the only differentiator, competitors can eventually access comparable nodes. If the advantage is the combination of custom security logic, packaging, software, and deployment data, the result is harder to copy.

## Market / industry impact

The deal fits a larger move toward vertical specialization in networking. Cloud providers design custom accelerators, switch vendors build programmable silicon, and security companies use dedicated processors to keep inspection close to the data path. That increases the addressable market for foundries and packaging providers, but it also makes customer support more complex.

It may also encourage other appliance vendors to reconsider manufacturing relationships. A company does not need to own a fab to have a differentiated processor, but it does need dependable access to design, packaging, testing, and supply-chain expertise. Intel can benefit if it becomes a partner for those complete workflows rather than a seller of wafers alone.

The competitive risk is schedule. A custom chip that arrives late can leave a product generation stranded. Fortinet will need to maintain its existing silicon roadmap while SP6 moves through development, and Intel will need to prove that external-customer processes can be as disciplined as internal ones.

## What to watch next

Watch for a named process node, tape-out, sampling milestone, and production window. Those are the points where a strategic collaboration becomes a real hardware program. Performance per watt, throughput under encryption, and integration with FortiOS will matter more than branding.

Also watch Intel's customer pipeline. One security ASIC does not establish a foundry franchise, but a sequence of external designs would show that Intel can turn manufacturing, packaging, and supply-chain resilience into a repeatable service.

## Sources

- [Intel: Intel and Fortinet collaborate on SP6](https://newsroom.intel.com/manufacturing/intel-and-fortinet-collaborate-to-advance-cybersecurity-innovation-and-strengthen-global-supply-chain-resilience) - Primary partnership announcement.
- [Tom's Hardware: Intel and Fortinet's next-generation firewall ASIC](https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/intel-to-co-develop-and-manufacture-fortinets-next-gen-firewall-asic) - Independent technical context.
- [Intel Newsroom](https://newsroom.intel.com/news) - Manufacturing and company context.

Category signal: hardware.

Mentions: Intel, Fortinet, Fortinet Security Processor 6, SP6, FortiGate, Intel Foundry

## Sources
- [Intel Newsroom](https://newsroom.intel.com/manufacturing/intel-and-fortinet-collaborate-to-advance-cybersecurity-innovation-and-strengthen-global-supply-chain-resilience)
- [Tom's Hardware](https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/intel-to-co-develop-and-manufacture-fortinets-next-gen-firewall-asic)
- [Intel Newsroom](https://newsroom.intel.com/news)