Washington DC [US], January 30 (ANI): US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg on Thursday (native time) formally confirmed that India will be part of Pax Silica in February 2026, the induction of the world’s largest democracy.
Speaking on the Hudson Institute, which promotes American management for a safe, free, and affluent future, he emphasised that whereas the preliminary ‘nucleus’ centered on manufacturing hubs reminiscent of Japan and South Korea, increasing into India is crucial to safe the broader provide chain, together with vital minerals and AI infrastructure.
‘We’re quickly increasing this coalition of succesful companions. We had been happy to welcome Qatar and the UAE to the partnership two weeks in the past, and we sit up for welcoming India subsequent month. Simultaneously, we’re holding ongoing discussions with different companions in varied geographies, together with Europe, Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, who possess distinctive capabilities and respect. As we develop, we are going to create useful working teams that leverage every accomplice nation’s distinctive experience. This ensures our work stays tangible, avoids dialogue for its personal sake, and stays strictly centered on outcomes. On coverage, we’re centered on outcomes,’ he stated.
Helberg goals to bypass this by creating ‘useful working teams’ that leverage the precise strengths of member nations (e.g., Dutch lithography, Taiwanese fabrication, and Indian software program). Helberg notes that membership is about ‘distinctive capabilities,’ suggesting that India is being introduced in for its huge software program engineering expertise and its rising {hardware} manufacturing sector.
Helberg is aggressively increasing the tent, transferring past the normal ‘West’ to incorporate key Middle Eastern and South Asian powers.
Pax Silica is a US-led initiative launched in December 2025 to safe the worldwide AI and semiconductor provide chain and scale back dependence on non-aligned nations. The alliance contains the US, Japan, South Korea, and different trusted companions, aiming to make sure superior AI stays with democratic nations.
India is ready to affix Pax Silica in February 2026, a transfer seen as a ‘historic milestone’. India brings an enormous expertise pool, rising semiconductor ambitions, and a strategic location, making certain that New Delhi has a seat on the desk the place the ‘structure of the twenty first century’ is being designed.
The declaration was signed by Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg alongside representatives from Japan, the State of Israel, Australia, the Republic of Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, marking the muse of a quickly increasing strategic coalition.
Shortly after the preliminary signing, the State of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates joined because the eighth and ninth signatories. Their accession underscored the initiative’s rising international attain and highlighted the growing alignment amongst superior and strategically positioned economies across the precept that financial safety and nationwide safety at the moment are inseparable.
Helberg stated, ‘This AI race is a basic wrestle for the structure of the twenty first century. We have to be clear-eyed that the provision chains of the AI revolution are being weaponised by our opponents as instruments of political coercion, and dependency is getting used as a leash.’
‘To deal with this, we’ve got adopted a brand new strategic idea referred to as Pax Silica. This is an financial safety coalition constructed on the truth that our safety is inseparable from our technological edge. The implementation of Pax Silica will unfold throughout three broad strains of effort, membership, coverage, and tasks,’ he added.
Earlier, in a submit on X, Helberg wrote, ‘New Delhi shall be invited to the desk as we operationalise Pax Silica. India’s pending entry into Pax Silica marks a decisive shift towards dependable and safe provide chains. A historic milestone for the U.S.-India partnership. The work to harden our provide chains and safe our financial future begins now. Great work, Ambassador Gor.’
Helberg’s remarks got here after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, on Monday, famous that India can be invited to affix Pax Silica, a US-led strategic initiative geared toward strengthening a safe and resilient silicon provide chain, throughout his go to to New Delhi.
In his submit on X, Gor wrote, ‘Pleased to share that India shall be invited to affix Pax Silica, a U.S.-led strategic initiative to construct a safe, resilient, and innovation-driven silicon provide chain. As the world adopts new expertise, it’s important that India and the United States work hand-in-hand collectively.’The growth assumes significance as India was excluded from the US-led ‘Pax Silica’ initiative on the inaugural Pax Silica Summit in 2025, triggering sharp political criticism.
Pax Silica goals to cut back China’s dominance and counter coercive dependencies throughout vital minerals, vitality inputs, semiconductors, superior manufacturing, AI infrastructure, and logistics.
On the coverage entrance, the coalition is working to align export controls, funding screening, and R&D subsidies. The aim is to make sure that ‘trusted’ tech does not leak to adversaries and that the member nations present one another with preferential entry to vital parts.
In the context of intensifying international competitors over AI capabilities, the initiative displays a broader shift in US financial coverage towards proactive coalition-building and long-term strategic planning relatively than reactive market corrections.
India’s inclusion is anticipated to spice up home semiconductor manufacturing and place the nation instead manufacturing hub. Experts observe that India may be part of Pax Silica at a later stage, much like its participation within the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP). (ANI)