Intel and Fortinet are expanding their long-running partnership to develop the next generation of Fortinet’s custom security processors, a move aimed at improving cybersecurity performance while strengthening the global technology supply chain.
The companies announced a strategic collaboration focused on developing Fortinet Security Processor 6 (SP6). The project combines Fortinet’s expertise in purpose-built cybersecurity chips with Intel’s semiconductor design, packaging, and manufacturing capabilities.
The collaboration comes as enterprises continue investing in faster security infrastructure capable of handling growing cyber threats, AI workloads and increasingly complex network environments.
Fortinet Looks to Accelerate Security Hardware
Fortinet has relied on custom application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for more than two decades to improve the speed and efficiency of its firewalls and security appliances.
The upcoming SP6 processor is expected to continue that strategy by providing higher performance for advanced security services while reducing latency and improving energy efficiency.
Intel will contribute semiconductor engineering, manufacturing expertise and advanced packaging technologies to help accelerate development.
Stronger Supply Chain a Key Goal
Beyond performance improvements, both companies said the partnership is intended to strengthen supply chain resilience.
Diversifying semiconductor manufacturing has become a major priority for enterprise technology vendors following several years of global chip shortages and geopolitical uncertainty.
Working more closely with Intel gives Fortinet additional manufacturing flexibility while helping ensure long-term availability of critical security hardware.
AI Driving New Security Demands
The companies also said the processor is being designed to support increasingly sophisticated security services as AI becomes more deeply integrated into enterprise environments.
Organizations are processing larger volumes of encrypted traffic while deploying AI-powered applications that require greater networking performance without sacrificing security.
Purpose-built processors can help handle these workloads more efficiently than relying solely on general-purpose CPUs.
The Bottom Line
As cybersecurity platforms become more dependent on specialized hardware, partnerships between chip manufacturers and security vendors are becoming increasingly important. Intel and Fortinet’s expanded collaboration could help enterprises gain faster security appliances, stronger supply chain reliability, and improved performance for AI-driven security workloads.