Taiwanese Government Fosters Domestic Development and International Cooperation to Build a Non-Red Drone Supply Chain

With President Lai Ching-te listing drones as one of the five trusted industries, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin stated in an interview with CNA that although Taiwan started late, the drone industry is growing rapidly, driven by geopolitics, defense needs, and heightened cybersecurity awareness. The government aims for the industry's output to reach NT$400 billion by 2030 and hopes to play a key role in the international non-red supply chain. To bridge the technology gap and expand the scale of Taiwan's drone industry, the Executive Yuan has allocated NT$44.2 billion over six years. Kung explained the budget is divided into four main areas: NT$19.2 billion for site construction, NT$14.1 billion for R&D, NT$10.2 billion for government procurement, and NT$0.7 billion for certification and cybersecurity systems, aiming to build a complete industrial ecosystem. The budget for site construction will be used to design and build drone test flight and laboratory sites, and to expand southern bases like the Asia Drone AI Innovation Application R&D Center in Chiayi, and ITRI's Liujia and Minxiong campuses. The R&D will focus on key technologies like 'three chips and two software' to fill gaps in communication, flight control, and satellite positioning chips, as well as ground control and flight control software. For government procurement, about 50,000 drones are expected to be purchased for public use within the next three years. Regarding international cooperation, Kung noted Taiwan has signed multiple MOUs with countries like France, the Czech Republic, and Poland. In cooperation with the US, ITRI has signed a Green UAS authorization and service agreement with the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), allowing products to be certified in Taiwan for international recognition. The government's goal is to reach an output value of NT$400 billion by 2030, with public sector and private applications expected to each account for half of the value.