Intel announced that its RAMP‑C program, launched in September 2021, has completed its three‑phase roadmap to enable domestic high‑volume manufacturing of leading‑edge chips. The program, run in partnership with the U.S. Department of War, has moved from developing design tools and IP to onboarding commercial and defense customers and to delivering taped‑out prototypes for testing. “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,” said Eric Makara, program manager for Microelectronics at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The effort enables commercial companies and the defense industrial base to design and fabricate trusted microelectronics on U.S. soil, improving warfighting capabilities and supply‑chain resilience. Since its start, RAMP‑C has delivered measurable progress: it built the technology, IP and tooling needed for test‑chip tapeouts; it onboarded early customers and expanded IP and ecosystem solutions for Intel’s 18A process; and it supported the tape‑out and testing of prototype products, demonstrating readiness for secure, scaled manufacturing. Intel’s 18A node, which incorporates RibbonFET and PowerVia transistors, is intended to improve performance per watt and density. Early access to 18A has allowed defense customers to leverage the Secure Enclave feature for mission‑critical systems that meet size, weight and power requirements. The program also builds on the State‑of‑the‑art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) initiative, continuing collaboration with the Department of War to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities. By providing a repeatable pathway from design enablement to production readiness, the initiative creates a model that allied governments could adopt to support resilient supply chains. Intel remains the only U.S. company that both researches and manufactures leading‑edge semiconductors, a role it says is vital for economic competitiveness and national security. The company aims to ramp up high‑volume 18A fabrication, which could help rebalance global semiconductor supply chains with a trusted domestic source.