Taiwan's ITRI joins top global program as cybersecurity assessor

Washington, Jan. 28 (CNA) Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has joined a program run by a leading global organization to evaluate uncrewed and autonomous systems, becoming its first cybersecurity assessor outside the United States.

Under an agreement signed Tuesday in Washington, the ITRI will provide cybersecurity testing and technical evaluation for unmanned aircraft systems in Taiwan, working as a "Recognized Assessor" for the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), according to an AUVSI statement released Wednesday.

"By welcoming ITRI as a Green UAS Recognized Assessor for cybersecurity testing, we are expanding access to high-quality, rigorous technical evaluation while maintaining a strong, centralized and consistent supply chain trust process in the United States," AUVSI President and CEO Michael Robbins was quoted as saying in the statement.

In a social media post on Wednesday, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said Taiwan is the only Green UAS program assessor outside the U.S.

The agreement will ensure Taiwanese uncrewed aircraft systems "meet the highest standards for cybersecurity, safety, and supply chain integrity," Helberg said.

Meanwhile, ITRI welcomed the "responsibility," saying that unmanned aerial vehicle development increasingly involves system safety, supply chain trustworthiness, and overall governance.

The agreement was signed ahead of the sixth Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue between U.S. and Taiwan officials, which was held Tuesday in Washington, with Helberg and Taiwan's Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) representing their respective sides.

The two sides agreed to strengthen economic security cooperation in several areas, including building drone supply chains to reduce reliance on China, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs.

• Taiwan, U.S. to agree several areas of economic security cooperation: MOEA

In a speech Wednesday at the American think tank Atlantic Council, Kung said Taiwan's role as a trusted partner in non-China supply chains is expanding beyond semiconductors, to include drones, artificial intelligence, robotics, and satellites.

As global demand for non-Chinese supply chains grows, Taiwan is becoming increasingly "needed" by the international community, allowing full demonstration of its industrial capabilities, he said.

The AUVSI is the largest nonprofit organization globally that advances uncrewed systems, autonomy, and robotics, representing companies and professionals from more than 60 countries.