On July 16, a faculty and student delegation from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology visited the Center for Research in Technology, Democracy, and Society (DSET). The two sides engaged in an in-depth exchange on critical issues, including semiconductor supply chain security and lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war.

This marks the delegation’s second consecutive annual visit to DSET. Dr. Dalton Lin, an associate professor at the Sam Nunn School and head of the delegation, explained that the primary purpose of their trip to Taiwan is to examine firsthand how industries adapt and maintain societal resilience under East Asian geopolitical pressures. He noted that DSET’s expertise at the intersection of emerging technology and national security closely mirrors their academic focus, making it an invaluable opportunity for the students and faculty to deepen their insights.

When asked about DSET’s policy recommendations for U.S. chip supply chain security, Min-yen Chiang, Deputy Director of DSET’s Economic Security Program, highlighted the center’s current research on China’s advanced packaging capabilities. He explained that despite export controls on advanced chips by the U.S. and its allies, China can still use advanced packaging to combine lower-performance chips to bypass these restrictions. Consequently, the U.S. government’s ability to step up coordination and forge multilateral partnerships with key allies like Japan will be crucial for securing the supply chain moving forward.

Regarding lessons Taiwan could learn from the war in Ukraine, Samara Duerr, a Policy Analyst in the National Security Program, pointed out that the war has redefined modern warfare by highlighting the power of asymmetric strategies. Ukraine’s experience demonstrates that a resilient, self-sustaining domestic industrial base and highly modular, adaptable defense systems are vital for national security. For example, Ukraine has shifted from bulk-buying Chinese-made drones to importing core components and handling up to 95% of final assembly locally. Its technical iteration is exceptionally rapid, with hardware upgrades taking only a few weeks and software updates being deployed as frequently as every day.

Tsaiying Lu, Director of the Energy Security and Climate Resilience Program, also shared key takeaways from Ukraine’s energy strategy. Beyond diversifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) import sources, Ukraine has prioritized scaling up renewable energy and developing decentralized power grids to reduce the vulnerability of large, centralized power plants. Furthermore, integrating solar panels into civilian infrastructure has proven effective in boosting local energy self-sufficiency.

Further Reading:

📌The Great Breakout: Advanced Packaging and China’s Race for AI Compute Parity  (Published by DSET Economic Security Program, June 2026)

📌 Drone Superpower: Ukraine’s UAV Success and Where Taiwan-Ukraine Cooperation Fits In (Published by DSET National Security Program, April 2026)