Intel will launch a secure chip supply chain program in the second half of this year, targeting government and highly regulated industry clients. These clients have higher requirements for the security and transparency of the chip manufacturing process.
According to a report by Nikkei Asia News on Wednesday, Intel’s program will cover some chip factories in five regions, including the United States, Ireland, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia, but facilities in Israel or chip assembly and testing factories in China and Costa Rica are not included. Intel did not provide detailed explanations as to why these five locations are considered safer than others.
David Feng, Vice President of Intel’s Client Computing Group, told Nikkei Asia that the program is designed this way because clients from governments and high-security projects are concerned about the security of the supply chain. These clients can now “choose the country of origin of the chips.”
“They can pre-determine what (chips) products they want to purchase,” said Jennifer Larson, General Manager of Intel’s Business Customer Division. “Customers can say they want to buy products produced in these specific regions.”
As the company introduces the supply chain assurance program, governments around the world are placing increasing emphasis on supply chain security, especially in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The United States government has instructed that starting in December 2027, government departments and agencies must stop purchasing products containing chips manufactured in China.
On March 3rd, U.S. President Trump and Chairman and CEO of TSMC, Wei Zhejia, announced at a press conference that as part of expanding the company’s chip factory network, the Taiwanese company plans to invest “at least” $100 billion in U.S. chip manufacturing plants over the next four years.
TSMC said the expansion plan includes the construction of three new chip plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a large research and development center.
Trump said, “This is a major move by one of the strongest companies in the world. It’s about economic security and it’s a national security issue for us.”
Meanwhile, Intel’s highly anticipated next-generation Panther Lake microprocessor is expected to begin production in the second half of this year, using the company’s upcoming 18A production technology. “I think this will be a significant product for commercial customers in 2026,” Feng said.
Intel’s 18A node is currently in development and trial production. Putting it into commercial production will be a key milestone for Intel to regain its leadership position in chip manufacturing. Intel will outsource the production of Arrow Lake series CPUs to TSMC, while focusing on developing next-generation chip manufacturing technology.
International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that global PC industry shipments will increase by 3.7% this year to reach 273 million units, with commercial demand being the main growth driver.