Palmer Luckey, founder of the US defense unicorn Anduril Industries, recently visited Taiwan and is reportedly seeking opportunities to expand cooperation with Taiwan's supply chain. During his visit, he was invited by the Taiwan AI Academy to deliver a speech on the topic of "Deterrence, Technology, and Defending Taiwan," in which he shared his entrepreneurial journey, the operational effectiveness of technology on modern battlefields, and his perspective on tensions surrounding the Taiwan Strait.
National Chung-Shan Institute delegation in attendance
Luckey believes Taiwan is at a critical juncture for a revival in defense technology, given current excellent conditions to establish a self-sustaining industrial chain that can leverage advanced technology to deter potential aggression.
In attendance at the speech was a delegation from the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), which recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Anduril. Headed by NCSIST president Shih-chiang Li, the delegation included roughly 30 senior officials from the Institute's aeronautics and electronic systems research divisions, highlighting the emphasis NCSIST places on forward-looking applications of AI in national defense and military affairs. In his brief post-event remarks, Li noted that NCSIST hopes to learn from Anduril how to use high tech to accelerate the production and deployment of defense systems.
From Oculus founder to defense innovator
Prior to founding Anduril in 2017, Palmer Luckey rose to fame when he sold Oculus to Meta Platforms Inc. in 2014. Although he has since shifted focus to the defense sector, his core technological mindset laid the foundation for Anduril to compete alongside traditional US defense giants like Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Unlike conventional defense contractors that rely heavily on contracts, Anduril positions itself as a defense product company that has adopted tech industry operational structures. It uses private funding to develop products, outlines development directions and timelines independently, emphasizes production efficiency and cost optimization, and stresses the modular reuse of existing technologies instead of starting from scratch each time. Luckey sees this approach as a valuable model for Taiwan's defense industry.
In Luckey's opinion, Taiwan's defense industry is currently at a pivotal moment, with talent, technology, capital, and governmental policies all converging to support its resurgence. Most importantly, Taiwan's advantage lies in its experience in semiconductor and advanced component manufacturing, and the expertise needed to produce autonomous attack systems, drones, and sensors, which closely parallels manufacturing processes for smartphones, cameras, and automobiles.
Opportunities and advantages for Taiwan's defense industry
Building upon its foundations in consumer electronics and commercial manufacturing, Taiwan can integrate its expertise in industrial technology to rapidly transition into advanced weapons production lines. If the goal is to construct automated, AI-based defense weapon systems, Taiwan stands among the few countries globally capable of quickly establishing a robust defense technology industry.
Luckey also hopes that the revival of defense technology will bring talent and innovation from the broader tech industry back into the defense sector. As he notes, although the US possesses unrivaled military strength, this has long been decoupled from Silicon Valley, which has generally dedicated its resources to the social media and fintech sectors.
Witnessing Ukraine-Russia front line firsthand
Luckey initially struggled to attract US venture capital interest when founding Anduril, but investments in US defense technology startups have surged sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Given the current situation in Silicon Valley, Luckey warns of hidden risks to national security, and stresses the inseparable link between defense and innovation. Having personally visited the front line in Ukraine, he has witnessed first-hand how low-cost weapons created using AI and drone technologies reversed disadvantages, a proof that warfare depends not on quantity but on technological superiority.
Ukraine serves as an example for the current situation surrounding the Taiwan Strait. With the effectiveness of technology on modern battlefields, Luckey believes Taiwan indeed needs to leverage high-tech deterrence to dissuade aggressors.
Anduril announces presence in Taiwan
During this visit, Luckey also announced that Anduril will establish an office in Taiwan, and will soon begin recruitment to expand collaboration with Taiwan's supply chain. Anduril has previously cooperated with Taiwanese suppliers in producing parts for US projects. Future collaborations will both seek to expand engagement with supply chains, and take into account Taiwan's own defense requirements.
In terms of business models, Anduril is considering a "commercial off-the-shelf" approach, exporting platforms to Taiwan for local companies to integrate ammunition or other functional modules to convert them for military use. This model could help address the traditionally lengthy delivery times for foreign military sales (FMS), while also highlighting that future innovations may blur the boundaries between military production and commercial procurement.
Article edited by Jingyue Hsiao
