Taiwan has established a new Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to accelerate the integration of drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems into its military strategy. This unit, modeled after the US DIU, will bridge the gap between civilian technological advancements and their applications in the defense sector.
The Taiwanese DIU, operating under the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) Department of Integrated Assessment, will combine the resources of the MND's top research facility, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), with those of civilian defense technology companies. Defense Minister Wellington Koo has pledged to personally oversee the operations of this new unit.
Acknowledging Taiwan's limitations in academic research and development, Minister Koo admitted that replicating the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is not feasible. Instead, the DIU will focus on rapidly enhancing Taiwan's combat capabilities by prioritizing the integration of drones and AI technologies.
The MND's procurement budget for domestically produced military drones is set between NT$50 billion and NT$60 billion, with an additional NT$10 billion allocated for acquiring drones from the US. This budget covers a range of unmanned systems, including aerial drones for reconnaissance and strike, unmanned surface vessels, and underwater drones.
The DIU will collaborate with the NCSIST, which will develop prototypes at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 and present them to the military for evaluation. If these prototypes meet operational requirements, they will advance to the engineering development phase (TRL 7-9). NCSIST will also adapt its models to incorporate emerging technologies during the TRL 7-8 stages.
Academic sector's contribution to defense technology
The National Council of Science and Technology allocates NT$400 million annually to support seven universities in establishing research centers focused on defense technology. These centers are developing a range of advanced technologies, including heterogeneous robot systems, metamaterial stealth structures, active frequency selective surfaces, radar cross-section reduction, and gimbal control for UAV tracking.
Taiwan's academic sector is also advancing critical technologies such as drone swarm control communications, high-efficiency image data transmission modules, and multi-drone coordination for rapid 3D terrain mapping and remote sensing tasks.
Military officials have emphasized that AI will not operate as autonomous killing machines. All military applications and attack orders will remain under human control, reflecting a core principle guiding the development of AI weaponry.
