India joins Pax Silica, signs AI Opportunity pact with US at New Delhi Summit
New Delhi, February 21. India has formally joined the Pax Silica initiative, becoming a signatory to the Pax Silica Declaration at a special event held on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 20. In a parallel move, New Delhi and Washington signed a Joint Statement on the ‘India-US AI Opportunity Partnership’ as a bilateral addendum to the declaration.
The documents were signed by S Krishnan, Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, and US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jacob Helberg.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Director of the US Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios.
In his keynote address, Vaishnaw underscored the vast potential for India and the United States to collaborate on supply chain security. He said cooperation under Pax Silica would deepen engagement in critical technologies and strengthen supply chain resilience under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
Ambassador Gor described India’s entry into Pax Silica as both strategic and essential, highlighting the country’s engineering and manufacturing strengths, expanding capabilities in critical mineral processing, and its reputation as a trusted partner. Helberg said Pax Silica partners are working to create a new architecture that democratizes intelligence and unlocks the transformative power of artificial intelligence.
The signing was followed by a fireside discussion moderated by Helberg, featuring Krishnan, Gor, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, and Tata Electronics CEO Randhir Thakur.
Pax Silica aims to build secure and resilient supply chains for foundational AI-era technologies, particularly silicon and critical minerals vital to semiconductors and advanced computing systems.
Through the AI Opportunity Partnership, India and the US plan to promote pro-innovation regulatory approaches, strengthen the physical AI stack, and support free enterprise. The partnership envisages collaboration in joint research and development, industry investments in next-generation data centres, improved access to compute and advanced processors, and accelerated innovation in AI models and applications.
Technology cooperation remains a cornerstone of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, with India’s entry into Pax Silica marking a significant step in expanding bilateral collaboration in critical and emerging technologies.
