Intel Completes RAMP-C Program, Citing Progress Toward Secure Enclave

What milestone did Intel Foundry complete with RAMP-C?

Intel announced that Intel Foundry has completed the Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes – Commercial (RAMP-C) program. According to the Intel Foundry newsroom post, the company stated: "Intel Foundry has completed the Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes - Commercial (RAMP-C) program" (E1). Intel dated the announcement to 2025, though no specific month or day was given in the release (E1).

When was RAMP-C launched and who leads it?

According to Intel's account, RAMP-C traces back to a launch date the company cites in two places within the same release — with a discrepancy worth flagging. In one passage, Intel states the program was "Launched in September 2021," adding that it "supported development of domestic, leading-edge CMOS technology and manufacturing in the United States, establishing a foundation for expanded trusted domestic semiconductor manufacturing" (E2). Elsewhere in the same release, Intel describes the program as having launched in "October 2021" (E3) — a one-month inconsistency that appears in Intel's own account rather than across independent sources.

On governance, Intel stated that RAMP-C "was led by the Trusted and Assured Microelectronics (T&AM) office under the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E))." Intel further said the project "was awarded through the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA), enabling DIB customers to access Intel Foundry's Intel 18A process technology and advanced packaging for prototypes and high-volume manufacturing of commercial and DIB products for the U.S. DoW" (E8).

How did RAMP-C progress through its phases?

Intel described RAMP-C as a multi-stage effort, stating: "Since its launch in October 2021, RAMP-C has delivered measurable progress across its three phases" (E3). The release did not specify what distinguished each of the three phases or when each concluded.

What new technology elements does Intel 18A introduce?

According to Intel, RAMP-C served as a vehicle for customers to move onto its newest process node. Intel said: "Through RAMP-C, Intel Foundry enabled customers and ecosystem partners to accelerate development and move from prototype to production readiness using Intel 18A, which introduces RibbonFET and PowerVia to improve performance per-watt and density" (E7). Intel did not disclose specific performance-per-watt or density figures in the release.

How does Secure Enclave relate to RAMP-C?

Intel positioned its Secure Enclave initiative as a direct outgrowth of RAMP-C and a related program. The company stated: "Secure Enclave also builds on the State-of-the-art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) program, reflecting continued collaboration with the U.S. DoW to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities" (E6). Intel did not detail Secure Enclave's scope, timeline, or funding beyond this statement.

How did the Department of War evaluate progress on RAMP-C?

Intel's release included a direct quote from an official on the government side of the partnership. Eric Makara, Program Manager for Microelectronics at OUSW(R&E), was quoted as saying: "The collaboration between the DoW and Intel on the Trusted & Assured Microelectronics RAMP-C program has led to the successful development of a critical state-of-the-art, leading-edge domestic semiconductor technology and design enablement infrastructure" (E4). This quote, attributed by name and title, is presented by Intel as the government's assessment of the program.

What position did Intel describe itself as holding in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing?

In the same release, Intel characterized its role in the domestic chip industry, stating: "As the only U.S. company that researches, develops and manufactures leading-edge semiconductor technology, Intel plays a critical role in U.S. economic competitiveness and national security" (E5). This is a self-description by Intel rather than an independently verified ranking, and no supporting data accompanied the claim in the release.

What this means

Taken together, Intel's own account ties RAMP-C — a Department of War-backed program run through the T&AM office and the S²MARTS OTA mechanism (E8) — directly to two downstream efforts: the migration of customers onto Intel 18A with its RibbonFET and PowerVia features (E7), and the newer Secure Enclave initiative, which Intel says also draws on the separate SHIP program (E6). The Eric Makara quote from OUSW(R&E) (E4) is the only third-party voice in the release, and it endorses the collaboration in general terms without providing independent figures. The one factual wrinkle in Intel's own narrative is internal: the release cites both September 2021 (E2) and October 2021 (E3) as RAMP-C's launch date, a discrepancy that appears within Intel's own account rather than between Intel and an outside source.