Source: IT
Subject: International Relations
Context: India has joined the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, aimed at building resilient supply chains for electronics, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.
About Pax Silica initiative:
What it is?
- Pax Silica is a strategic international initiative led by the United States Department of State to strengthen secure, resilient and trusted supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors, electronics and AI technologies.
History:
- Conceptualised as a response to growing concerns over supply-chain vulnerabilities and concentration of rare-earth processing.
- Held its inaugural summit in Washington D.C. in December 2025.
Aim:
- To create resilient and diversified global supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors and AI-related technologies.
- To deepen economic partnerships among like-minded countries and reduce risks from coercive or monopolistic supply
Participants:
- Signatories include: Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, UAE, United Kingdom, India (new entrant).
- Non-signatory participants: Canada, European Union, Netherlands, OECD, Taiwan.
Key Features:
- Supply chain security focus: Promotes diversification of electronics and critical mineral supply chains to reduce excessive concentration risks.
- AI and technology collaboration: Encourages cooperation across AI systems, semiconductors, data infrastructure and advanced manufacturing ecosystems.
- Critical minerals partnership: Supports coordinated refining, processing and access to rare-earth and strategic minerals needed for future technologies.
- Investment and infrastructure cooperation: Promotes shared investments and incentives to strengthen trusted industrial and technology networks.
- Trusted innovation ecosystem: Builds collaboration among governments, industries and innovators to create secure and reliable technology stacks.
- Fair market and security framework: Addresses non-market practices, unfair dumping and protects sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure.
- Private sector participation: Mobilises entrepreneurship and industry capabilities to scale innovation and strengthen economic security.
- Strategic economic alignment: Aims to align partner countries on long-term technology governance and resilient global economic architecture.
