Last week, at the AI Action Summit in Paris, Vice President J.D. Vance reaffirmed the Trump administration’s commitment to ensuring that advanced AI systems are developed domestically using made-in-America chips—remarks that boosted Intel’s stock by six percent. Vance also warned against excessive AI regulation, urging international partners, particularly in Europe, to prioritize innovation. Vance’s stance aligns with a rising “techno-nationalist” movement, associated with right-leaning tech figures like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, that emphasizes innovation, defense, and global competitiveness.

Meanwhile, Anduril, an AI-driven military startup with a techno-nationalist edge, is nearing a deal that would value the company at $28 billion. This underscores AI’s growing role in national defense—and a shifting geographic locus of technological power in the U.S. Notably, both Anduril and Intel share a connection with Vance: Ohio.

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Though Anduril’s roots are in California, its ambitions—and investments—are expanding. Nowhere is this more evident than in Ohio’s capital, Columbus, where Anduril plans to build a $1 billion factory, Arsenal-1. This move cements central Ohio as a hub for the kind of manufacturing that defines techno-nationalism, a movement that champions industrial grit as much as technological progress—and which might reverse America’s drift into cultural decadence.

Columbus lacks mountains, beaches, Hollywood glamor, and New York City lights. Yet last year, it topped Realtor.com’s list of hottest housing markets. Attracting talent from across Ohio as well as major urban hubs like San Francisco and New York, the city has experienced growing pains but is quietly redefining what it means to rise—particularly in artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing.

Anduril’s decision to anchor a major facility in Columbus signals more than just economic development—it represents a broader shift in where the future is being built. Arsenal-1 will produce tens of thousands of autonomous systems and weapons annually, supporting Anduril’s mission to meet the demands of a modern military. The company also promised to create over 4,000 jobs in Ohio—and soon.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey praised Ohio: "It was a state that told us, 'We have the workforce; we have a million people who are capable of working in this facility within a 45-minute drive. We’re willing to work with you on higher education to help train people so that they come in and they can work with you.'" He contrasted Ohio with his home state: "Speaking candidly as someone who is from California, there are some states that are really good at pushing you out and slowing you down, and there are others that are great at pulling you in and speeding you up."

Anduril’s announcement follows Ohio’s landmark 2022 deal with Intel to build a $20 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility outside Columbus—the largest private-sector investment in the state’s history. Intel’s “Ohio One” project includes two fabs producing advanced chips for electronics, AI, and defense. It’s expected to create 3,000 Intel jobs, 7,000 construction jobs, and tens of thousands of indirect jobs, positioning Columbus as a rising player in the semiconductor industry.

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The Intel project has faced challenges, including CHIPS Act funding disputes and corporate instability, with a stock-price decline and a CEO resignation. Nevertheless, Columbus has continued to establish itself as a major player in tech manufacturing. Like Silicon Valley, Columbus embraces technological innovation, but true to its Rust Belt roots, it does so in a way that emphasizes the gritty, muscular work of making tangible products. This isn’t the assembly line of the past but a 21st-century version that marries cutting-edge technology with physical production.

Columbus should continue leaning into its manufacturing roots, producing physical goods rather than adopting Silicon Valley’s obsession with the ephemera offered by lifestyle apps like DoorDash or Instacart. These hollow “innovations” cater to an increasingly sedentary culture of "expressive individualism," reflecting a society grown effete and stagnant.

The Midwest’s legacy of building real, material things—like semiconductors—and the desire to do so at breakneck speed, as championed by Luckey and supported by Vance, offers an antidote to the decadence writer Ross Douthat diagnoses in our culture. A decadent society prioritizes comfort over substantive progress. “No flying cars, no Jetsons stuff, no vibranium or cold fusion—just really sleek and speedy delivery systems for pornography, video games, and (God help us) political commentary,” Douthat wrote in 2021.

Manufacturing innovation, in contrast, creates not only well-paying jobs but also a sense of purpose and connection to the land that app development lacks. Perhaps science really can end decadence, with productivity and innovation reverse-engineering us out of cultural malaise. In that pursuit, Ohio’s manufacturing bent brings us closer to natural law. God created a physical garden and promises a tangible city of God, not clouds of “experiences,” “content,” or “vibes.”

In this sense, Intel’s growing pains may not be drawbacks but a testament to a masculine struggle for achievement—a quality straight out of a Carl Sandburg poem. Sandburg, writing in a hyper-productive era before decadence took hold, celebrated the muscular labor of the Midwest: the stormy, brawling effort to build something real and enduring. It’s the same ethos that dovetails with Luckey’s intense, obsessive drive for speed and progress. Maybe this willingness to get dirty and make mistakes in pursuit of tangible goals—an ethos Ohio seems to foster—is exactly the antidote to decadence that America needs.

The Intel and Anduril deals underscore the potential of this approach. These facilities are more than job creators; they reflect a commitment to advancing cutting-edge technologies like semiconductors and defense systems, bolstering America’s competitive edge. By leading in hardware innovation, Columbus can model sustainable growth, strengthening its urban core while providing a blueprint for Rust Belt revival.

Columbus also offers an alternative to coastal digital escapism—the opportunity to “touch grass.” Unlike New York or San Francisco, Columbus offers urban amenities at reasonable costs, allowing residents homeownership, safe neighborhoods, and spacious, embodied living. Even its Symphony Orchestra, unlike struggling counterparts, is investing in a $275 million performing-arts venue. Whether cheering for the Buckeyes in the packed Horseshoe or gathering at cafes like Fox in the Snow, a Brooklyn transplant with a cult following, Columbus prioritizes in-person experiences and community over the intangible, isolating, and online.

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Of course, Columbus’s ascent hasn’t come without downsides. The city’s rise has highlighted state-level disparities, with smaller cities like Middletown, Akron, and Toledo losing talent to Columbus in a pattern of “brain drain.” As Aaron Renn has noted, Columbus’s success shouldn’t obscure the broader struggles of middle and smaller cities.

But overall, Columbus’s rise is a testament to ambition, strategic planning, and the ethos of making tangible things. By embracing its Rust Belt roots and prioritizing advanced manufacturing over fleeting software trends, Columbus exemplifies the muscular productivity Sandburg celebrated. Its focus on hardware innovation, from semiconductors to autonomous systems, represents not just economic progress but also a reversal of cultural decadence.

Columbus proves that the heartland’s hands-on approach can outpace Silicon Valley’s digital ephemera and lead the way on techno-nationalism. If the city continues emphasizing industrial renewal, workforce training, and infrastructural investment, then dozens of safe, livable, and productive American cities may follow in its footsteps.