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Watch: What is Pax Silica?

February 20, 2026 4 min read International Relations Science & Technology GS2 GS3
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What Happened

  • India formally joined Pax Silica, a US-led initiative launched in December 2025 by the Department of State to build secure and resilient supply chains for advanced technologies.
  • The initiative aims to protect supply chains from strategic vulnerabilities, particularly reducing allied nations' dependence on China for semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and critical minerals.
  • Pax Silica currently has 12 signatories: the US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the UK, Singapore, Israel, Qatar, the UAE, Greece, the Netherlands, and India.
  • The declaration is non-binding but establishes a coordination framework for partner countries to collaborate on "flagship projects" across the global technology stack.
  • The name "Pax Silica" (Latin for "Peace of Silicon") references the foundational role of silicon-based semiconductors in the modern global technology infrastructure.

Static Topic Bridges

Technology Alliances and Geopolitical Blocs

The formation of Pax Silica represents a broader trend of technology-focused geopolitical alliances that go beyond traditional military or trade alliances. Unlike Cold War-era blocs defined by ideology, these new coalitions are organised around control of critical technology supply chains, reflecting the centrality of technology in 21st-century strategic competition.

  • The Quad (US, India, Japan, Australia) has a critical and emerging technologies working group focused on semiconductor supply chains, quantum computing, and AI.
  • The US-led CHIP 4 Alliance (US, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) was formed specifically to coordinate semiconductor policy.
  • The Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), launched in 2022, includes 14 countries and the EU focusing on critical mineral supply chains.
  • The Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), of which India is a founding member, coordinates AI governance among democratic nations.
  • Pax Silica is distinct in its ambition to cover the entire "silicon stack" from raw minerals to finished AI systems.

Connection to this news: India's simultaneous membership in Quad, GPAI, MSP, and now Pax Silica reflects its strategy of engaging with multiple technology-focused coalitions to diversify partnerships and maximise access to advanced technology without being exclusively aligned with any single bloc.

AI Governance and the Global Race for AI Infrastructure

The race to build AI infrastructure has become a key dimension of great power competition, with nations investing billions in computing capacity, data centres, and AI talent. Control over the hardware layer (chips, data centres, energy) is increasingly seen as more strategically important than the software layer, as advanced AI models require massive computational resources.

  • Global investment in AI infrastructure is projected to exceed $300 billion annually by 2027.
  • Advanced AI training requires state-of-the-art GPUs, primarily manufactured by a small number of companies (Nvidia, AMD) using TSMC's fabrication facilities in Taiwan.
  • The US has restricted export of advanced AI chips to China and certain other countries through its October 2022 and subsequent export control regulations.
  • India's AI compute capacity is growing rapidly, with government-backed initiatives for 10,000 GPU clusters for public AI research.
  • The India AI Impact Summit where Pax Silica was signed was organised to position India as a key node in the global AI infrastructure network.

Connection to this news: Pax Silica formalises the idea that AI security begins not at the software level but at the mineral and chip level, and India's inclusion recognises its potential as both a consumer and producer of AI infrastructure components.

India's Strategic Autonomy in Technology Partnerships

India has historically maintained strategic autonomy in its foreign policy, avoiding exclusive alignment with any single power bloc. In the technology domain, this has meant engaging with multiple partners for different technology needs while building domestic capabilities.

  • India partners with the US on defence technology (iCET initiative, GE-414 jet engine co-production) while maintaining technology ties with Russia and France.
  • India's semiconductor mission involves partnerships with multiple countries: Micron (US) for ATMP facility in Gujarat, and negotiations with Tower Semiconductor (Israel) and others.
  • India is building its own AI ecosystem through the IndiaAI Mission with Rs 10,372 crore outlay.
  • The Pax Silica declaration is non-binding, allowing India flexibility to maintain technology partnerships outside the coalition.
  • India has not joined the US-led restriction regime on AI chip exports to China, maintaining its own export control policies.

Connection to this news: India's decision to join Pax Silica as a non-binding participant reflects its continued balancing approach, gaining access to Western technology supply chains while preserving the flexibility that strategic autonomy demands.

Key Facts & Data

  • Pax Silica: launched December 2025 by the US Department of State.
  • India signed the declaration: February 20, 2026, during the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
  • Total members: 12 nations (India is the most recent signatory).
  • Coverage: semiconductors, AI infrastructure, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, energy, logistics, and data systems.
  • Nature: non-binding declaration with coordination framework for "flagship projects."
  • Key Indian officials: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (Electronics and IT).
  • Key US officials: Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg; Ambassador Sergio Gor.