The news
On July 21, 2026, Intel (INTC) and Fortinet (FTNT) announced the Intel Fortinet SP6 collaboration, under which Intel's design, packaging and manufacturing capabilities will support development of Fortinet Security Processor 6 (SP6), Fortinet's next custom security chip.
The companies said the work will also improve the resilience and diversity of Fortinet's global supply chain. SP6 is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a chip built for one kind of job. Fortinet CEO Ken Xie said the company's purpose-built ASICs have been a key differentiator for more than two decades.
The Register reported that the SP line targets smaller appliances such as SD-WAN gateways, and The Next Web described SP6 as the custom silicon inside Fortinet's FortiGate firewalls. The joint announcement did not name a manufacturing process. The Register reported that SP6 will use the older Intel 4 process rather than 18A, Intel's leading-edge node, and The Next Web also reported Intel 4. According to The Next Web, TSMC made the previous chip, SP5.
Neither company disclosed pricing, volumes or a production date. The Register reported that Intel declined to comment on when the product would be available, and The Next Web reported that Intel said details would come later. The companies said they will explore further collaboration across semiconductor technology and manufacturing.
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan said the collaboration shows how Intel's design, packaging and manufacturing capabilities can help security companies such as Fortinet develop critical technology while diversifying their supply chains. The Next Web, citing CNBC, reported that Fortinet is the first corporate foundry customer Intel has been willing to name since Tan became CEO in March 2025.
The numbers
- Fortinet's custom ASIC history (per CEO Ken Xie)
- More than two decades
- Intel external foundry revenue, Q2 2026 (reported July 23)
- $293 million
Why CEOs should care
For network and security teams that run Fortinet appliances, nothing changes in the near term: no ship date was given, and current products use earlier SP chips. The point for CISOs is supply. Fortinet framed the deal around a more resilient and diverse supply chain, so ask your Fortinet reseller whether future SP6-based models will carry different lead times or regional sourcing, and whether contracts will state where the chips are made.
For CFOs and procurement leaders evaluating chip suppliers, the deal is a data point on Intel Foundry's ability to win outside design work, not proof of scale. According to press reports it uses a mature process, and neither company disclosed volumes or value. Companies considering Intel as a manufacturer for their own custom chips should ask for yield data, packaging capacity and firm schedules before committing a design.
Boards overseeing supply-chain risk can note the approach: Fortinet is bringing in Intel's design, packaging and manufacturing for SP6 with the stated aim of a more resilient and diverse supply chain, while TSMC made the prior SP5, according to The Next Web. The companies did not say whether TSMC will keep a role. How much the change reduces risk depends on when SP6 ships and in what volume, which neither company has said.
The bigger picture
Intel has been trying to build Intel Foundry into a contract manufacturer that makes chips for other companies. The Next Web reported that Tan told investors in May that multiple customers were working with the foundry but that his policy was not to name them. It also reported that Intel said in an April filing that it was still seeking a significant customer for its most advanced 18A and 14A processes.
The Fortinet work also sits in Intel's purpose-built silicon business, which designs and makes custom chips for specific customers. The Register noted that the U.S. government holds a 9.9% stake in Intel, acquired in 2025.
What happened next
On July 23, 2026, Intel's second-quarter earnings release said the Fortinet collaboration expanded its purpose-built silicon business beyond networking and infrastructure processing units (IPUs). On the earnings call that day, Tan called the collaboration a strong step forward in Intel's ASIC strategy, and CFO Dave Zinsner said external foundry revenue was $293 million in the quarter.
On August 7, 2026, Intel named Dean Jarnac executive vice president and chief sales officer, with responsibility that includes ASICs. Production timing, chip specifications and any volume commitments for SP6 are the details to watch, along with Intel's third-quarter update, which Tan said would come in October.
