Jane Edwards
Tom Keane, corporate vice president for Azure global at Microsoft, said the company will work with several industry partners under the second phase of a Department of Defense-sponsored program that seeks to advance the development of secure microelectronics and semiconductors for defense and national security applications using commercial innovations.
Keane wrote in a blog post published Wednesday that Microsoft will develop system on a chip designs and custom integrated chips using advanced manufacturing processes under the second phase of the Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes using Advanced Commercial Capabilities project.
“These new designs will achieve lower power consumption, improved performance, reduced physical size, and improved reliability for application in DoD systems,” Keane noted.
Microsoft’s partners on the RAMP project’s current phase include Ansys, Applied Materials, BAE Systems, Battelle, Cadence Design Systems, Cliosoft, Flex Logix, GlobalFoundries, Intel’s federal arm, Raytheon Technologies’ intelligence and space business, Siemens EDA, Synopsys, Tortuga Logic and Zero ASIC. Some of these companies worked with Microsoft on RAMP’s initial phase under an other transaction agreement awarded by DOD in October 2020.
Microsoft and its partners will host the RAMP platform in the Azure Government cloud to ensure compliance with the Pentagon’s security requirements.
“By leveraging cloud-based secure design capabilities, RAMP will expand the number of foundries available to DoD, enhance resiliency, and foster growth of the domestic semiconductor supply chain,” Keane wrote.
