Trusted Foundry
Abstract
The Department of Defense (DoD) and National Security Agency (NSA) require uninterrupted access to state-of-the-art design and manufacturing processes to produce custom integrated circuits designed specifically for military purposes. In accordance with DoD Instruction 5200.39, integrated circuits in critical/essential systems need to be procured from trusted sources in order to avoid counterfeit, tampered, or sabotaged parts. Worldwide competition from foreign state-subsidized manufacturing facilities (foundries) is making fabless semiconductor companies the norm in the United States. Sophisticated off-shore design and manufacturing facilities with engineering labor rates vastly less than U.S. engineering rates have resulted in outsourcing of electronics components and integrated circuits. These trends threaten the integrity and worldwide leadership of the U.S. semiconductor industry by eliminating many domestic on-shore suppliers and reducing access to trusted fabrication sources for advanced technology. These trends are of acute concern to the defense and intelligence community. Secure communications and cryptographic applications depend heavily upon high performance semiconductors where a generation of improvement can translate into a significant force multiplier and capability advantage. Important defense technology investments and demonstrations carry size, weight, power, and performance goals that can only be met through the use of the most sophisticated semiconductors. The Trusted Foundry program provides DoD and NSA with trusted state-of-the-art microelectronics design and manufacturing capabilities necessary to meet the performance and delivery needs of their customers. The program will also provide the Services with a competitive cadre of trusted suppliers that will meet the needs of their mission critical/essential systems for trusted integrated circuit components. NSA, in their role as the Trusted Access Program Office, has successfully looked to commercial sources to satisfy their requirements. Access to trusted suppliers is imperative to ongoing and future DoD/NSA systems, and most centrally, Trusted Foundry access is absolutely necessary to meet secure communication and cryptographic needs for state-of-the-art semiconductor technologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- R2 Budgetary Justification
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2012
- Source ID
- 0605140D8Z_5_0400_PB_2012
- Change Summary Explanation
- The Trusted Foundry PE 0605140D8Z transfers to the Defense Logistics Agency in FY 2012.
- Service Agency Name
- Office of Secretary Of Defense
Related Documents
- Child Project: P014
- Child Accomplishment: Trusted Foundry