Frank Ferrante is the CEO of ForwardEdge ASIC, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary dedicated to advancing U.S. domestic semiconductor chip design. A 30-year veteran of the semiconductor industry, Ferrante has held leadership roles at Intel (Senior Director of Military, Aerospace and Government), Wolfspeed (VP of Worldwide Automotive Sales and Marketing), and Altera. He is a vocal advocate for U.S. advanced manufacturing policy, having advised policymakers on the CHIPS Act, SHIP, and RAMP-C initiatives. Under his leadership, ForwardEdge ASIC achieved U.S. Government Trusted IC Vendor Status in February 2026 and selected the MIPS S8200 for mission-critical autonomous platform ASICs.
The Xpeng G9 is a flagship mid-size electric SUV from Chinese EV maker Xpeng Motors, built on an 800V silicon carbide platform with class-leading fast charging (10-80% in 12 minutes on 2025 models), up to 725 km CLTC range, and a full-stack autonomous driving system called XNGP. It competes directly with Tesla Model Y and premium European EVs, and has been exported to Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Its tech is now licensed to Volkswagen Group.