Military drone outfit Anduril partners with Qualcomm to build laptops on US soil with new BlueChip venture

Defense contractor Anduril, which is known for its military drones, just announced that it’s building laptops in the U.S., with the company saying that it will begin taking orders in 2027. According to its press release, it will call its laptop product line BlueChip and will use a Snapdragon X Series SoC for its core computing capabilities. It also said that it already has functional prototypes, with 90% of the procurement cost of the components used to build it coming from suppliers in the U.S. and other allied countries. However, it’s also aiming for a fully domestic supply chain in the long term.

This means that Anduril is not only sourcing domestically produced semiconductors but also uses other made-in-the-U.S. parts, like batteries, the external casing, and even the glass for its screen. “Other companies might design their computers in the U.S., Anduril makes them here,” the Anduril founder Palmer Luckey said in the Anduril YouTube video. “We’re making parts out of metals that the U.S. knows how to extract, knows how to refine, knows how to process, and knows how to mill at scale at a reasonable price; and that goes for the entire laptop. The same thing goes for the battery technology.”

Luckey has been planning to launch a fully U.S.-made laptop since last year but said that it’s going to cost 20% more than a comparable device. Still, it seems that the company is targeting critical industries — government, defense, first responders, and public safety — which might be willing to spend more to ensure the security of their computer systems. Anduril is also better placed to start building a domestically designed, built, and sourced laptop today as the White House’s efforts to bring back semiconductor manufacturing have resulted in massive fabs like TSMC Arizona and Samsung’s Taylor, Texas site. Taiwan’s plan to support smaller companies key to TSMC’s supply chain by funding industrial parks in the U.S. will also likely benefit BlueChip, as it would make it easier for the company to source needed parts it would otherwise have to order from abroad.

Anduril has acknowledged the progress in the U.S.’s efforts to bring back computer manufacturing to its shores but also acknowledged the challenges that it faces when it comes to building a 100% domestic supply chain. “…manufacturing complete computers also requires circuit boards, displays, batteries, and other components still largely produced overseas. Restoring domestic computer manufacturing requires rebuilding that broader industrial base,” it said in its press release. “BlueChip will take a phased approach, beginning with expanding domestic sourcing and manufacturing, progressing toward eliminating reliance on foreign suppliers, and ultimately establishing an end-to-end American supply chain.”

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