India is set to join the United States-led high-technology and supply chain initiative, Pax Silica, with the two sides scheduled to sign the Pax Silica Declaration in New Delhi on Friday.Official sources told The Tribune that the declaration would be signed on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, formally bringing India into the strategic technology framework from which it had earlier been excluded.US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg will be present at the time of signing.India’s entry marks a significant shift from December last year, when Washington launched Pax Silica with a group of key technology partners but left New Delhi out of the inaugural arrangement — a move that had raised eyebrows in diplomatic and political circles.The original grouping brought together Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Australia, alongside the United States, to build what Washington described as a secure, resilient and innovation-driven global silicon and artificial intelligence supply chain. India’s absence was notable, especially as other Quad members — the US, Japan and Australia — were included.$200m AI smartphone pushThe US Department of State has opened a competitive process to award up to $200 million in assistance to expand secure, affordable smartphones across the Indo-PacificThe “Edge AI Package” seeks proposals supporting next-generation devices running trusted systems (Android/iOS) to bring new users into an open digital ecosystemThe plan backs the broader Pax Silica initiative, promotes a trusted AI software stack and offers an alternative to high-risk vendorsPax Silica seeks to reduce dependence on coercive supply chains in critical minerals, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, energy inputs, logistics and AI infrastructure. The framework focuses on the entire technology stack — from raw materials and power generation to chip fabrication, data centres, frontier AI models and global logistics networks.US officials have described the initiative as a new economic security paradigm anchored in cooperation among countries hosting leading technology firms and investors. Participating nations are expected to pursue joint projects to plug vulnerabilities in AI supply chains, promote co-investment, safeguard sensitive technologies from undue foreign control and build trusted digital infrastructure.The initiative is widely viewed as part of Washington’s broader strategy to counter China’s dominance in high-technology and critical supply chains. The name Pax Silica has been interpreted as signalling a coalition-led economic order for the AI age.In December, the Opposition Congress had criticised India’s exclusion from the nine-nation bloc, calling it a setback for New Delhi’s strategic and technological ambitions. India’s inclusion now aligns with its push to position itself as a global semiconductor and electronics manufacturing hub, backed by incentive schemes, critical minerals partnerships and expanding technology cooperation with the US and its allies.
