Intel enlists White House to revive foundry ambitions

Intel is in talks with the US Department of Defense to operate a US-based foundry, the chipmaker confirmed to Reuters. “Intel is well positioned to work with the US government to operate a US-owned commercial foundry and supply a broad range of secure microelectronics,” a spokesperson wrote in an e-mailed statement to the press agency.

It wouldn’t be Intel’s first attempt to move into the foundry arena. In 2013, the company announced an agreement to manufacture chips for FPGA maker Altera, along with several smaller companies. The business never managed to gain meaningful traction, however, especially after Intel stumbled on the 10nm node.

Intel’s foundry activity hasn’t been formally axed, but it isn’t generating much revenue either at the moment. Latching onto concerns of the Trump administration about being too dependent on Asia for key technologies may give it a leg up.