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India signs Pax Silica, joins US-led initiative on AI, critical minerals

February 20, 2026 6 min read International Relations Science & Technology GS2 (India-US Relations International Groupings) GS3 (Science & Technology Critical Minerals)
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What Happened

  • On 20 February 2026, India formally joined the US-led Pax Silica initiative by signing the Pax Silica Declaration during the India AI Impact Summit held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi (16-21 February 2026).
  • India became the 12th signatory to Pax Silica. The other signatories include: the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Singapore, Israel, Qatar, UAE, Greece, and the Netherlands (non-signatory participant).
  • The initiative was launched in December 2025 at an inaugural summit in Washington, with 7 founding signatories; Qatar, UAE, and Greece joined in January 2026.
  • Pax Silica is coordinated by the US Department of State and aims to build a secure, resilient, trusted technology and supply chain ecosystem across critical minerals, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and energy.
  • Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw represented India at the signing, emphasising that Pax Silica would greatly benefit India's electronics and semiconductor industry.
  • At the same summit, India announced: scaling up its compute capacity (adding 20,000 GPUs to its existing 38,000), over USD 200 billion in AI and deep-tech investments expected in India over two years, and 2-nanometer chip design work already underway in India.
  • Pax Silica is widely interpreted as a counter to China's dominance in semiconductor fabrication, critical mineral processing, and rare earth supply chains — analysts have called it a "counter to Pax Sinica."
  • The initiative is non-binding (based on a Declaration, not a treaty) — members commit to coordination, investment alignment, and supply chain cooperation rather than formal legal obligations.

Static Topic Bridges

India's Semiconductor Mission and the Race for Chip Sovereignty

Semiconductors (microchips) are the foundational technology of the modern economy — powering smartphones, EVs, AI systems, defence equipment, medical devices, and critical infrastructure. Control over semiconductor supply chains has become a defining geopolitical issue of the 2020s.

  • India's Semiconductor Mission was launched in December 2021 (revised in 2024) with a PLI-linked incentive package; the government approved three semiconductor plants in 2024.
  • First semiconductor fabrication plant: Tata Electronics (in collaboration with Taiwan's PSMC) in Dholera, Gujarat — commercial production expected by 2025-26.
  • First OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) plant: CG Power/Renesas (Japan) in Sanand, Gujarat; Micron Technology (US) plant also approved.
  • India's Semiconductor 2.0 strategy focuses on chip design — India already has over 3,000 chip designers; over 20% of the world's chip design engineers are of Indian origin.
  • The global semiconductor industry is dominated by: Taiwan (TSMC, ~50% of advanced chip production), South Korea (Samsung, SK Hynix), the US (Intel, Qualcomm — design), and China (SMIC — catching up).
  • The CHIPS and Science Act (US, 2022) and European Chips Act (EU, 2022) represent government-led efforts to reshore semiconductor manufacturing — India's semiconductor push is part of this global trend.

Connection to this news: India joining Pax Silica aligns its semiconductor ambitions with a US-led alliance structure — providing access to allied supply chains, technology, and investment flows that can accelerate India's chip ecosystem development while reducing exposure to China-controlled supply chains.

Critical Minerals: The Building Blocks of 21st Century Technology

Critical minerals — including lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, rare earth elements (REEs), silicon, and others — are the physical backbone of clean energy, AI, and defence systems.

  • Pax Silica's critical mineral focus areas: rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, copper, silicon, and processing intermediates needed for semiconductors and batteries.
  • China's dominance: ~80% of global rare earth processing, ~60% of cobalt processing (via DRC mines), ~70% of lithium refining, and largest silicon metal producer.
  • India's National Critical Mineral Mission (February 2024): Identified 30 critical minerals; set up a separate public sector entity (KABIL — Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) for overseas mineral acquisition.
  • India's domestic deposits: Graphite (Odisha), lithium (Jammu/Karnataka — recently discovered), manganese, titanium, vanadium — but most are underexplored or small-scale.
  • Minerals Security Partnership (MSP): A US-led grouping of 14 nations (including India, Australia, Canada, Japan, EU) to coordinate critical mineral investments — Pax Silica builds on MSP principles but adds AI and semiconductor scope.
  • The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted global neon supply (essential for chip lithography) — ~70% of neon came from Ukraine — highlighting the vulnerability of semiconductor supply chains.

Connection to this news: Pax Silica extends India's critical mineral diplomacy from a bilateral framework (MSP) to a multilateral alliance platform — ensuring that India's growing domestic processing capacity is integrated into trusted Western supply chains.

India's AI Policy and the IndiaAI Mission

India's approach to artificial intelligence has evolved from sectoral applications to a comprehensive national strategy — the IndiaAI Mission — that positions India as an AI-first nation and a global AI hub.

  • IndiaAI Mission: Launched in 2024, budget: INR 10,371 crore (~USD 1.25 billion) over 5 years; covers compute infrastructure, datasets, application development, safety research, and startup ecosystem.
  • India AI Impact Summit 2026: First AI summit hosted by a Global South nation; held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi (16-21 February 2026); more than 90 countries participated.
  • Compute: India's national GPU cluster: 10,000 GPUs (government-funded); total in pipeline including private sector: 58,000+ GPUs (after the 20,000 additional units announced).
  • New Delhi AI Declaration: Released at the end of the India AI Summit — focuses on inclusive AI, bridging the AI divide between Global North and South, and safety frameworks.
  • India's AI strengths: Vast data generation (second-largest internet user base), large English-language dataset, 3,000+ chip designers, strong IT sector (software engineering talent).
  • India's AI challenges: Limited domestic compute (still dependent on Nvidia chips), data privacy gaps (DPDP Act 2023 — Digital Personal Data Protection Act being implemented), and need for AI safety frameworks.

Connection to this news: Pax Silica membership integrates India into the trusted AI infrastructure architecture being built by the US and its partners — ensuring that India's AI ambitions are supported by allied semiconductor supply chains and compute infrastructure rather than Chinese alternatives.

Key Facts & Data

  • Pax Silica launch: December 2025 (Washington inaugural summit); India joined: 20 February 2026.
  • India is the 12th signatory; other members: US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, UK, Singapore, Israel, Qatar, UAE, Greece.
  • Initiative nature: Non-binding Declaration (not a treaty); coordinated by US Department of State.
  • India's existing GPU compute: 38,000 GPUs (national AI infrastructure); adding 20,000 more.
  • AI investment announced at India AI Summit: USD 200 billion over 2 years.
  • India's Semiconductor Mission: 3 plants approved (Tata/PSMC-Dholera, CG Power/Renesas-Sanand, Micron-Sanand).
  • 2-nm chip design: Already underway in India (Arm, Intel, Qualcomm design centres).
  • India's KABIL: Khanij Bidesh India Ltd — government entity for overseas critical mineral acquisition.
  • China's dominance: 80% rare earth processing, 60% cobalt processing, 70% lithium refining.
  • Digital Personal Data Protection Act: 2023 — India's data protection law.
  • IndiaAI Mission budget: INR 10,371 crore over 5 years.
  • India AI Impact Summit 2026: First Global South-hosted AI summit; 90+ countries; Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
  • Name significance: "Pax Silica" — silica (silicon dioxide) is the base material for semiconductors; "Pax" (Latin: peace/order) echoes "Pax Americana" — analysts call it a counter to "Pax Sinica" (China's economic and technological order).