According to Intel's newsroom, Intel and Fortinet announced a strategic collaboration on July 21, 2026 to develop Fortinet Security Processor 6 (SP6). The companies say the work pairs Fortinet's proprietary ASIC expertise with Intel's design, packaging, and manufacturing capabilities, and is intended to help diversify Fortinet's global supply chain.
What Intel and Fortinet Are Building Together
According to a joint statement published on Intel's newsroom, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) and Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) "today announced a strategic collaboration to develop Fortinet Security Processor 6 (SP6)" (E1). The announcement is dated July 21, 2026. The companies state that the collaboration "aims to deliver a highly integrated security processor capable of supporting increasingly sophisticated security services and the demanding performance requirements of today's organizations" (E5).
Fortinet's Market Footprint: Products and Customers
The same release describes Fortinet's current scale in the cybersecurity market. Per the statement, Fortinet delivers "cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products," and "well over half a million customers trust Fortinet's solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented, and most validated in the industry" (E7).
| Metric | Figure | Evidence |
|---|
| Enterprise-grade products in Fortinet's portfolio | 50+ | E7 |
| Customers using Fortinet solutions | Over 500,000 | E7 |
| Years Fortinet's purpose-built ASICs have been a differentiator | More than two decades | E4 |
Complementary Strengths: ASIC Expertise Meets Foundry Capability
Intel's newsroom frames the deal as a pairing of two distinct capabilities. The release states the collaboration "combines Fortinet's proprietary, purpose-built security processor expertise with Intel's advanced design, packaging, and manufacturing capabilities to accelerate and strengthen SP6 development" (E2). Fortinet Founder, Chairman, and CEO Ken Xie described the origin of that expertise directly, saying "Fortinet's purpose-built ASICs have been a key differentiator for more than two decades, enabling us to deliver the security effectiveness, performance, and efficiency our customers demand" (E4).
How Executives Frame the Strategic Stakes
Both companies' chief executives are quoted in the release characterizing the deal's significance. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan said: "This collaboration demonstrates how Intel's semiconductor leadership and advanced design, packaging, and manufacturing capabilities can help cybersecurity leaders like Fortinet accelerate the development of critical security technologies while building a more resilient and diversified global supply chain" (E3). Ken Xie added that "this expanded relationship with Intel will leverage its unique combination of advanced semiconductor technology, manufacturing expertise, and global supply chain capabilities, helping Fortinet accelerate and strengthen our ASIC strategy, while also better supporting organizations all over the world" (E4).
Supply Chain Resilience as a Stated Objective
Supply chain diversification is presented as a direct outcome of the arrangement, not a side effect. Per the release, "this work will also help to improve the resilience and diversity of Fortinet's global supply chain" (E2). Looking further ahead, the companies state that continued collaboration "is expected to advance Fortinet's long-term ASIC roadmap, support greater performance and service richness, and strengthen supply chain assurance for customers worldwide" (E6).
What Comes Next: Semiconductor and Manufacturing Roadmap
Beyond SP6 itself, Intel and Fortinet say they "will explore additional opportunities to further deepen collaboration across semiconductor technology, manufacturing, and the infrastructure underpinning future cybersecurity innovation" (E6).
What This Means
The release ties together three linked claims: Fortinet's ASIC approach has been a differentiator for "more than two decades" (E4) and underpins a portfolio of over 50 products serving more than half a million customers (E7); Intel is positioned as supplying the design, packaging, and manufacturing capacity to extend that approach into SP6 (E2); and both companies frame the resulting supply chain diversification (E2) and future semiconductor roadmap work (E6) as the intended payoff of combining Fortinet's processor expertise with Intel's manufacturing base. As this is a joint statement issued through Intel's own newsroom, the characterizations of leadership, performance, and industry standing above are the companies' own words, not independently verified assessments.