US defense tech company Anduril is beefing up its relationship with Taiwan by opening a local office and selling it AI-powered attack drones, the company said in a release Tuesday. The announcement comes as tensions between the island and China escalate and fears mount over a potential invasion. “As threats to Taiwan grow, so do the risks to regional security and global prosperity,” the company said. “Ensuring Taiwan can defend itself with asymmetric, combat-effective capabilities is critical to American interests.”
By opening a Taiwan office and partnering with local entities, Anduril says it hopes to tap into the area’s engineering talent and “world-class” research. With lofty ambitions to manufacture 180,000 drones annually by 2028, Taiwan is also working to jumpstart its domestic industry, but with little success so far, Wired reported.
Taiwan’s chipmaking prowess is of strategic importance to the US and its AI ambitions, even as Trump attempts to shift semiconductor manufacturing back to the US and pledges to slap tariffs on chips. That makes Chinese pressure on the island also a threat to America’s technological edge over China.