Anduril reverses course, promises US-made laptop meets 2027 standards

Anduril and Qualcomm announced on Tuesday that they are partnering to build a laptop in the United States, a move that marks a reversal in the defense firm's previous messaging about domestic production. The company now states that its BlueChip laptop will meet Buy American standards at its 2027 launch, a commitment it had not made earlier in the week. This shift follows a rapid sequence of communications where Anduril executives first declined to specify a percentage of domestic components, then reported a low figure for the current prototype, and finally confirmed compliance with federal thresholds.

The core of the new partnership involves building a single laptop model starting in 2027, with a stated long-term goal of creating a fully domestic supply chain. No major US computer company, including Apple, Dell, HP, and Microsoft, currently builds its laptops domestically. Anduril aims to change that status quo by targeting at least 65 percent of its components to be made in the US by the time the device launches. This specific number is critical because it aligns with the current requirements of the Buy American Act, which mandates that at least 65 percent of a product's cost be domestic for it to be considered a domestic product by federal agencies.

Palmer Luckey, Anduril's founder, told reporters on Monday that the company has a technical roadmap to reach 100 percent domestic production over time. He argued that many government agencies currently buy computers under waivers of the law, meaning they are not strictly adhering to domestic requirements. "We are not just barely meeting the bar for Made in America," Luckey said. "We are going hard to make this an all-American play, and not even the Buy American Act requires what we're trying." He indicated that the laptop would be built to comply with military and government standards, potentially exceeding them.

Despite this confidence, the details have fluctuated. When asked on Monday about the percentage of US-made components in the 2027 laptop, Luckey answered "TBD." He cited uncertainties regarding when specific memory and chip fabrication plants would come online in the US. He noted that while the glass and frame would be made domestically, other components might come from allied countries initially. In a follow-up email on Tuesday, Anduril spokesperson Stephanie Davis stated that the current prototype is approximately 32 percent US-origin by component procurement cost, with more than 90 percent sourced from the US and allied countries combined. She said the final domestic-content percentage at launch remained unsettled.

On the same day, Anduril communications VP Shannon Prior corrected the company's earlier stance. Prior wrote that the company's previous response was incorrect and that the BlueChip laptop is being developed to exceed the 65 percent US domestic-content threshold at launch. She described meeting this threshold as a fundamental objective of the program. This is the first time Anduril has confirmed that the initial model will meet the standard, suggesting that government agencies should not need waivers to purchase the device once it ships.

Qualcomm, the chip partner, confirmed that the laptop's Snapdragon processor will be manufactured in Arizona. Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm's CEO, stated that the company is using TSMC's manufacturing facility in the state for chip production. Anduril's press release notes that the laptop enclosure is designed for US machining and will use metals that US industry can produce at scale. The company is also programming FPGAs to handle power management and developing made-in-America batteries.

The Buy American Act, originally passed in 1933, was updated during the Biden administration to set the 65 percent domestic cost requirement. That number is scheduled to rise to 75 percent in 2029. Anduril says it is working to eliminate foreign content and establish an end-to-end American supply chain, but the precise domestic-content percentage of the final product is still being determined as suppliers are finalized. The company invited Luckey to explain the jump from the 32 percent prototype figure to the 65 percent launch target, but he was not available for a follow-up interview.