TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance (TEDIBOA) is showcasing its products and technologies from Wednesday to Friday at the Japan Drone Expo.
Hu Kai-hung (胡開宏), chair of TEDIBOA and the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp., is leading a delegation to the event, including the Taiwan National Defense Industry Development Association, the Taiwan Aerospace Industry Association, the Industrial Technology Research Institute, Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corp., and Thunder Tiger Corp, per CNA.
Hu said the alliance comprises over 200 companies, forming a comprehensive supply chain for drone design, manufacturing, and other key components and software. He emphasized that the group wants to establish a secure China-free supply chain while fostering international cooperation.
During the event, Hu represented the alliance in signing a memorandum of understanding with the Japan UAS Industry Development Association (JUIDA) Vice Chair Chida Yasuhiro. Taiwan’s envoy in Japan, Lee I-yang (李逸洋), and Chien Chih-wei (簡志維), head of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ aerospace industry promotion task force, were at the signing.
Hu said that JUIDA is a leading organization in Japan's drone sector. Japan excels in precision machinery and automatic control, while Taiwan has strengths in semiconductors, ICT, manufacturing, and system integration. He added that their collaboration will focus on supply chain integration, technology development, and market sharing.
The global drone market is expected to reach NT$1.6 trillion (US$50 billion) by 2030. In Japan, the drone market is estimated at NT$122.9 billion this year and is expected to exceed NT$202.9 billion by 2028. Last year, demand for drone applications in logistics and infrastructure inspection reached NT$22.4 billion.
The alliance highlighted that the Japanese government has been promoting the development of a China-independent supply chain. It also allocated more than NT$270 billion to strengthen its domestic drone sector.
At the expo, the Industrial Technology Research Institute is showcasing its self-developed drones, including a hydrogen fuel cell-powered UAV, a logistics drone, and an AI-powered drone fleet management system. The institute is also exhibiting key components like motors and speed and flight controllers.
ITRI President Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said the institute has supported TEDIBOA in expanding international business opportunities. He added that ITRI also played a role in bringing major global drone manufacturers, such as France's Parrot and Japan's Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory, to Taiwan to help establish local supply chains.
TEDIBOA led Taiwanese delegations of defense associations, academic institutions, and companies to Xponential Europe in February and the Xponential exhibition in Houston in May. At the Houston event, more than 20 potential cooperation opportunities were discussed, with business deals expected to exceed NT$1 billion.
In March, TEDIBOA Co-Chair Wu Hsiu-hui (吳秀蕙) and Japan Drone Consortium Chair Nonami Kenzo signed a drone agreement. The Japanese group also visited Taiwan's drone facilities, including those for batteries, controllers, motors, and wireless communication.
