Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has opened its ICT TechDay 2026 with more than 30 communications and artificial intelligence technologies, many of them already in field trials or industrial use. The event, which opened on September 29, 2026 and was organized together with other Taiwanese research centers, revolves around three areas: 6G and satellite communications, unmanned vehicles, and AI applications.
ITRI ICT TechDay 2026 in 20 seconds
- ITRI shows off more than 30 technologies spanning 6G, satellites, drones, and AI.
- Its AI-RAN network management system cuts recovery time by 97%, according to its own tests.
- A program involving 15 research centers aims to help more than 1,400 companies adopt AI.
ITRI is Taiwan’s major public applied-research center. Founded in 1973, it spun off companies such as UMC and TSMC, today the world’s largest contract chipmaker. Its message at this year’s event points precisely toward moving beyond that industrial model.
From Moving Bits to Serving Tokens
Pang-An Ting, ITRI’s vice president and general director of its Information and Communications Research Laboratories, summed up the shift he expects in networks: “As AI capabilities expand worldwide, next-generation communications are moving from bits to tokens,” no longer just carrying data but supporting AI computing and intelligent services. Because of that, he added, Taiwan’s tech industry needs to move beyond hardware-focused contract manufacturing and offer higher-value services that integrate software, hardware, and broader ecosystems.
Ting argues that future networks won’t serve only people, but also AI agents, self-driving cars, drones, and robots. ITRI is working with industry partners on several fronts: 6G, agentic AI, physical AI, AI-RAN (the use of artificial intelligence in the radio access network, the part that connects devices to antennas), integrated sensing and communication, which lets the mobile network itself act as a sensor, and the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, such as satellites.
Much of this technology depends on standards that haven’t been finalized yet. The 6G timeline puts the standard at 2028 and first commercial uses around 2030, and the AI-native networks approach championed by NVIDIA and several carriers is also still being defined.
A “Butler” for Base Stations and Mapless Drones
The example ITRI highlights most is its AI-RAN-based 5G and 6G network management and orchestration solution. It describes it as a “network butler” that runs around the clock at base stations, dynamically allocating and optimizing network resources. Pegatron and G REIGNS collaborated on the base station hardware, while Groundhog Technologies and Auray Technology worked on the network management software.
According to the institute, field trials showed the system cuts network recovery time by 97%, improves performance by 50%, and lowers base station energy consumption. The announcement doesn’t clarify which network the trials ran on, what traffic was used, or what system they were compared against, and it doesn’t quantify the energy savings either. These are ITRI’s own figures, without external verification.
In unmanned vehicles, ITRI presents an indoor drone inspection system. It uses visual-inertial odometry (VIO), a technique that combines a camera and motion sensors so the drone knows where it is without GPS, and it can fly through and inspect an enclosed space autonomously without a prior map. According to the institute, it cuts manual warehouse inventories from several days to a few hours, improving efficiency and workplace safety.
A Program to Bring AI to 1,400 Companies
Beyond the demos, the event includes an AI adoption advisory zone involving 15 research organizations. The idea is to give companies a single point of contact for technical questions and for finding technology from other sectors they can apply.
That zone is part of a broader initiative pairing research centers with industry partners to set up demonstration facilities in manufacturing, chemicals, semiconductors, and consumer products. There, sector-specific AI models are tested under real operating conditions, with the goal of creating methods other companies can replicate. The stated goal is to help more than 1,400 companies speed up their AI transformation. The announcement doesn’t detail the program’s budget, timeline, or how many demonstration facilities are already running.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ITRI?
It’s Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, an applied R&D center founded in 1973 that gave rise to companies such as UMC and TSMC.
What technologies are shown at ITRI ICT TechDay 2026?
More than 30, grouped into 6G and satellite communications, unmanned vehicles, and AI applications. Highlights include a 5G and 6G network management system using AI-RAN and an indoor drone inspection system.
What is AI-RAN?
It’s the application of artificial intelligence to the radio access network, the part of the mobile network that connects devices to antennas, to manage and optimize its resources.
What results does ITRI attribute to its network system?
According to its field trials, 97% less network recovery time, 50% higher performance, and lower energy consumption at base stations. These are the institute’s own figures.
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