Anduril and Qualcomm Unveil BlueChip, a Rugged Laptop Meant to Bring PC Manufacturing Back to America

The defense company's first computer runs on a Snapdragon X chip, will be assembled in Ohio and goes on order in 2027. Palmer Luckey says it will cost about 20 percent more than a typical high-end PC.

COSTA MESA, Calif. - Anduril, the defense technology company best known for autonomous drones, is getting into laptops. The company and Qualcomm on Tuesday unveiled BlueChip, a new product line meant to rebuild American computer manufacturing, starting with a laptop designed and assembled in the United States. Anduril says it has built functional prototypes and plans to begin taking orders in 2027, according to its announcement.

Qualcomm supplies the brains. The laptop runs on the Snapdragon X Series, the same family of Arm-based chips used in Windows laptops such as Microsoft’s Surface, which handles general processing, graphics and on-device AI. Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm’s chief executive, told reporters the chips for BlueChip will be made at TSMC’s plant in Arizona, DefenseScoop reported.

The BlueChip lid carries a “Built in America” mark. Image: Anduril

The first model is not built for coffee shops. It is a hardened machine aimed at the military, government agencies, first responders and law enforcement, designed to survive rain, dust, shock and vibration. The Verge described the prototype as having a rifle strap-style carrying handle and said it will run Windows or one of two undisclosed versions of Linux. Anduril is also working to make the Arm-based machine run Windows apps, government Linux builds and older software that agencies still rely on, TechCrunch reported.

“Built in America” is a goal more than a finished fact. Anduril says components from U.S. and allied suppliers account for more than 90 percent of the prototypes’ component procurement cost, and that the long-term aim is a fully domestic supply chain. Asked by The Verge what share of the shipping laptop’s parts would be made in the United States, Anduril’s founder, Palmer Luckey, said, “TBD. . . Those questions are not settled,” and added, “I think most likely the thing that we ship is not going to be 100-percent American.”

Anduril announced BlueChip on X. Screenshot: @anduriltech on X

The engineering work is shaped by what American factories can actually make. Anduril says it designed the enclosure for U.S. machining, built battery and power management around existing American battery technology, chose metals that U.S. industry can produce at scale and is developing a process to bond U.S.-made display glass. Circuit board assembly is planned for Arsenal-1, the factory Anduril is building in Ohio.

Anduril plans to assemble BlueChip circuit boards at its Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio. Image: Anduril

Luckey did not share production targets. “We’re not going into full-rate production until next year,” he told reporters, according to DefenseScoop, describing “a very small line” building small quantities to work out the manufacturing process. He said BlueChip is funded by Anduril and Qualcomm, not by government subsidies.

Pricing has not been announced, but Luckey estimated it will run about 20 percent above typical high-end PCs. He was candid about who should buy one. “If I was just a normal consumer making a rational decision without a kind of patriotic basis, I’d be better off buying a Dell laptop than an Anduril laptop because it’s going to be cheaper,” he said, according to TechCrunch. Consumers may still be able to join a waiting list, and organizations can register interest on Anduril’s BlueChip page.

The first BlueChip laptop is a hardened design for government and defense users. Image: Anduril