The Department of Defense has shifted priorities as new threats emerge and the United States seeks to secure innovative solutions that protect national security, placing a new technology at the forefront of its modernization agenda - advanced microelectronics.
For years, the Pentagon has managed microelectronics through the Trusted Foundry program, overseen by the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA). The Trusted Foundry program has led to the implementation of a stringent set of rules requiring that "any integrated circuit-related products and services...[that] are custom-designed, custom-manufactured, or tailored for a specific military end use" must be acquired through an accredited, trusted supplier.