TSMC assists! Anduril and Qualcomm jointly launch "Made in the USA" laptops

U.S. defense technology company Anduril announced on Tuesday (27th) that it will cooperate with chip manufacturer Qualcomm Technologies to jointly build a notebook computer designed and assembled in the United States. The chips used will be produced by TSMC’s factory in Arizona.

The notebook is the first product in Anduril's new BlueChip series and will be produced at its factory in Ohio. San Diego-based Qualcomm Technologies will provide processor, graphics processing and on-device artificial intelligence capabilities through its Snapdragon X-series chips. According to the Wall Street Journal, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said the chips will be produced at TSMC's Arizona factory. The laptop is expected to be available in 2027.

The aggressive spirit displayed by Anduril and Qualcomm stems from decades of outsourcing in U.S. manufacturing. This outsourcing "has left the United States heavily reliant on foreign manufacturers for the computers and parts that underpin everything from personal devices to critical government infrastructure," the release noted. They say it creates national security concerns because disruptions to overseas supply chains could limit U.S. access to some critical products needed for computer manufacturing.

The reality is that a laptop alone is not enough to compensate for the consequences of outsourcing. Although more and more companies are talking about moving production back home, domestic production of U.S. computers and electronics products will grow only 2.8% between 2024 and 2025, while imports have soared 29%, according to the latest "Reshoring Index" released by consulting firm Kearney.

The report notes that the cost of producing these products in other countries such as China, Vietnam, India and Mexico is lower than the cost of producing in the United States, and that cost difference is unlikely to change given that countries are increasing subsidies to encourage manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung to build local factories.

Anduril and Qualcomm are trying to change that:

1. Laptops designed and assembled in the United States are not the same as laptops produced entirely using the U.S. supply chain, but more than 90% of the parts for the BlueChip prototype come from the United States and its allies.

2. Anduril is working hard to expand the scale of domestic parts production in order to achieve the expected goal in 2027. Its long-term goal is to establish a fully localized supply chain. BlueChip will rebuild the suppliers, manufacturing processes and expertise to produce these systems at scale, the company said.