The Ministry of Economic Affairs held a Taiwan-U.S. drone cooperation memorandum signing ceremony today, the 3rd. The memorandum was signed by Liu Chia-Ju, Chairperson of the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre, and Palmer Luckey, founder of U.S. defense technology leader Anduril, with Chiu Chiu-Hui, Director General of the Industrial Development Administration under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, serving as witness.
Moving forward, both parties will center their collaboration on key drone technologies, focusing on AI autonomous systems, drone manufacturing, localized supply chains, and the development of non-red supply chains. This partnership is expected to further enhance Taiwan’s international collaboration capacity in the drone industry and strengthen its competitiveness in the global supply chain.
Anduril Industries is one of the most representative defense technology companies in the United States. It was founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, the founder of the virtual reality company Oculus.
The company has long worked with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and multiple allied governments. It is dedicated to developing drones, autonomous combat systems, the AI-powered command-and-control platform Lattice, and advanced sensing technologies.
Its products have been widely applied in border surveillance, counter-drone defense, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) collection, and autonomous mission operations, making Anduril a key global leader in autonomous systems and defense technology.
The Industrial Development Administration stated that the memorandum of understanding signed between the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre and Anduril aims to promote cooperation between the two parties in AI-powered drones, while advancing joint research and development, technical exchanges, manufacturing optimization, and industrial localization.
The scope of cooperation covers key drone technology research and development, manufacturing optimization, AI application technology development, supply chain integration, localized production, and the strengthening of non-red supply chains.
Taiwan has a comprehensive industrial foundation spanning information and communications technology, precision machinery, metal processing, electronic components, and system integration. In recent years, the Industrial Development Administration has continued to promote the integration of Taiwan’s drone industry with the international market.
To date, it has facilitated more than 10 domestic companies in securing prototype development or mass production orders from Anduril in areas such as drone airframe structures, payload equipment, and propulsion systems.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs stated that the two parties will collaborate on key drone technology research and development, AI application technologies, manufacturing process optimization, supply chain integration, and localized production.
This cooperation will help domestic companies connect with international market demand for drones and autonomous systems. Through institutional platforms, it will also support technology upgrades, quality verification, manufacturing optimization, and industry matchmaking, further strengthening Taiwan’s key position in the global trusted supply chain.