PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio (Oct. 27, 2026) – A laptop with circuit boards assembled in Pickaway County could be in the hands of military, police and emergency responders next year.
Anduril Industries and Qualcomm unveiled BlueChip on Tuesday, a new product line the companies say is meant to rebuild computer manufacturing in the United States. The first product is a rugged laptop for defense, government, first responder and public safety customers. Circuit board assembly is planned for Anduril’s Arsenal-1 facility, the massive manufacturing campus going up near Rickenbacker International Airport.
What was announced
Anduril says it already has working prototypes and expects to begin taking orders in 2027. The laptop runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series chip, which handles general computing, graphics and artificial intelligence tasks on the device itself. Qualcomm’s chief executive said the chips are being made at TSMC’s new plant in Arizona.
The companies say parts from U.S. and allied suppliers account for more than 90 percent of the prototypes’ component cost. Anduril is working to build up domestic production of items like enclosures and battery components, and the stated long-term goal is a fully domestic supply chain, including displays and other parts that are largely made overseas today.
Anduril founder Palmer Luckey acknowledged the first machines will not be 100 percent American-made. He also said they will cost more than a comparable laptop built in China, with one estimate putting the premium near 20 percent over typical high-end PCs. He said the companies, not the government, are paying for BlueChip so far.
The companies framed the project as a national security issue. Most computers and their parts are made in Asia, and they argue a war or supply disruption could cut the U.S. off from essential hardware.
Why it matters in Pickaway County
Arsenal-1 was announced in January 2025 as the largest single job creation project in Ohio history. The planned campus covers about 500 acres and is expected to reach 5 million square feet. Under a 30-year agreement with JobsOhio, Anduril committed to create 4,008 jobs, add more than $530 million in new payroll and invest at least $910.5 million within 10 years. The state agreed to a $310 million grant tied to those commitments.
The plant’s best-known mission is building autonomous aircraft and other military systems. Construction of Building 1, which includes 775,000 square feet of production space, was already underway earlier this year, and the company said it planned to have about 250 workers on site by the end of 2026.
BlueChip adds a new line of work to that site. Computer manufacturing in the U.S. has largely disappeared over the past few decades, and Anduril is betting a Pickaway County factory floor can help bring it back.
When Arsenal-1 was announced, County Commissioner Jay Wippel said the county had spent nearly two decades preparing for a project like it.
What we don’t know yet
It was not immediately clear how many Arsenal-1 jobs will be tied to BlueChip, which building will handle circuit board assembly, or what the laptop will cost. Anduril has not finished contracting with all of its component suppliers, and the 2027 order window is the next milestone to watch.
