Washington, DC [US], January 12 — US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg on Sunday described India’s likely inclusion in the US-led Pax Silica initiative as a historic milestone for the US-India partnership and a decisive step toward building reliable and secure global supply chains.
In a post on X, Helberg said New Delhi would be invited to participate as Pax Silica is operationalised. He noted that India’s pending entry marked a significant shift toward strengthening trusted supply chains and securing the economic future of partner nations. He also praised the efforts of US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in advancing the initiative.
Helberg’s remarks followed comments by Ambassador Gor, who earlier said India would be invited to join Pax Silica during his visit to New Delhi. Gor described Pax Silica as a US-led strategic initiative aimed at building a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain, stressing the importance of close cooperation between India and the United States as new technologies are adopted globally.
The development is significant as India was excluded from the inaugural Pax Silica Summit in 2025, a move that had drawn sharp political criticism. Pax Silica seeks to reduce China’s dominance and counter coercive dependencies across critical minerals, energy inputs, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and logistics.
Current members of Pax Silica include the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. India’s inclusion is expected to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing and position the country as an alternative global production hub. Experts have noted that India could join the initiative at a later stage, similar to its participation in the Minerals Security Partnership.
Pax Silica is a key US State Department initiative focused on artificial intelligence and supply chain security. It aims to encourage allies and trusted partners to coordinate on building secure and reliable technology and economic systems, covering the entire technology supply chain from energy requirements and critical minerals to high-end manufacturing, chip production, and AI model development.
In the longer term, the initiative seeks to bring together countries with strong capabilities in strategic technology sectors. Supporters argue that such coordination will help participating nations harness the economic potential of artificial intelligence and position themselves to benefit from the emerging AI-driven global economy.
Reflecting this broader ambition, the Pax Silica Declaration acknowledges that the accelerating AI revolution is reorganising the world economy and reshaping global supply chains. It also highlights the unprecedented demand for energy, critical minerals, high-tech manufacturing, semiconductors, electronics, and new infrastructure required to sustain advanced computing.
A central objective of the initiative is to curb coercive dependencies by reducing over-reliance on any single country for critical technologies, materials, or products, thereby limiting vulnerabilities to pressure or manipulation in global trade. Pax Silica also seeks to strengthen trusted digital infrastructure and ensure that advanced technologies remain protected from theft and misuse.
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