India joins US-led Pax Silica amid push for stronger bilateral ties

New Delhi: India on Friday formally joined Pax Silica, a US-led strategic alliance focused on securing supply chains for critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI).

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and US envoy to India Sergio Gor were present at the signing ceremony during the AI Impact Summit held in the national capital.

Describing the initiative, Gor said Pax Silica represents a coalition of capabilities. “Pax Silica is a declaration that the future belongs to those who build, and when free people join forces,” US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said.

India’s entry into the alliance comes as New Delhi and Washington work towards finalising a proposed trade agreement and advancing other measures to reinforce bilateral ties after a period of strained relations, reported PTI.

Pax Silica, launched in December, aims to build a secure, innovation-driven supply network for critical minerals and AI. At the inaugural summit on December 12 in Washington, partner countries endorsed its declaration.

The declaration outlines a shared commitment to enhanced economic and technological collaboration across supply chains — spanning raw materials, semiconductors and AI infrastructure — while emphasising mutual prosperity and security.

Current members of the alliance include Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Gor had extended an invitation to New Delhi last month to join the grouping.

One of the core objectives of Pax Silica is to build a stable economic framework to advance AI-led growth among partner nations.

“We recognise that a reliable supply chain is indispensable to our mutual economic security,” the Pax Silica declaration states.

“We also recognise that artificial intelligence (AI) represents a transformative force for our long-term prosperity and that trustworthy systems are essential to safeguarding our mutual security and prosperity,” it adds.

“We believe that economic value and growth will flow through and across all levels of the global AI supply chain, driving historic opportunity and demand for energy, critical minerals, manufacturing, technological hardware, infrastructure, and new markets not yet invented,” the declaration says.