Intel secures Fortinet as first named external foundry customer on Intel 4

Intel and Fortinet announced a strategic collaboration to develop the Fortinet Security Processor 6 (SP6), the next-generation firewall ASIC. Fortinet becomes the first named external customer for Intel's Intel 4 process node and the first cybersecurity vendor on Intel's manufacturing roster. The deal marks a win for CEO Lip-Bu Tan's foundry strategy at a time when Intel has been seeking marquee external customers to justify billion-dollar fab buildouts.

SP6 will be built on Intel 4, the advanced EUV process Intel has used primarily for its own products like Meteor Lake. The collaboration leverages Intel's expertise in disaggregated design, chiplets, and advanced packaging — a departure from Fortinet's current SP5, a monolithic 7nm part launched in 2023. Intel will contribute chip design, packaging, and manufacturing; no production timeline was disclosed, though the announcement lands in Q3–Q4 2026 when Tan said the company expects foundry customer commitments.

Fortinet ships roughly 48% of firewall appliances globally by unit share, per IDC, giving the deal real volume. The cybersecurity market is heating up due to AI-driven threats, and Fortinet's stock has more than doubled this year. The deal strengthens Fortinet's supply chain resilience and marks Intel's first concrete win with a major named customer outside the cloud giants and U.S. government, signaling that its foundry pitch is resonating beyond defense and AI infrastructure.

For architects, this signals Intel's foundry strategy is alive—Fortinet proves the node can attract real-volume external design wins. The SP6 generational advance and chiplet approach hint at performance and power gains critical to next-gen security appliances competing in AI-enabled threat environments. It also underscores the foundry's role in securing supply chains for cybersecurity vendors facing Nvidia GPU scarcity.