US, India agree to further cooperation under Pax Silica
India and the United States are set to deepen their collaboration. Discussions focused on Pax Silica, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with US Under Secretary Jacob Helberg. This engagement aims to strengthen economic and technology ties between the two nations. India joined Pax Silica earlier this year.
360° Perspective Analysis
Deep-dive into Geography, Polity, Economy, History, Environment & Social dimensions — AI-powered, on-demand
Context
In February 2026, India formally joined the US-led initiative during the global held in New Delhi. Recent bilateral discussions between the Indian Foreign Secretary and the US Under Secretary of State reaffirm their commitment to this framework, which aims to secure global supply chains for artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and advanced semiconductors. This marks a paradigm shift in technology cooperation, establishing a collaborative architecture to safeguard economic and national security against supply chain weaponization.
UPSC Perspectives
International Relations & Geopolitics
The initiative is a US-led strategic coalition aimed at securing the physical foundations of the modern digital economy, specifically reducing global reliance on adversarial nations for technology hardware. For India, joining this grouping of advanced economies marks a significant milestone in the India-US [Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership]. It reflects a growing geopolitical consensus that economic security and technology supply chains are inextricably linked to national security and sovereignty. From a UPSC perspective, this highlights the shift in global diplomacy where dominance over compute (computing power) and silicon is viewed as critically as oil and maritime security were in the 20th century. By aligning with this coalition, India actively shapes the governance norms of emerging technologies while balancing its traditional strategic autonomy in a multipolar world.
Economic & Supply Chain
The pact focuses on building a resilient, trusted, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain, covering the entire spectrum from the mining of critical minerals to advanced semiconductor manufacturing and logistics. By participating in this framework, India aims to attract massive foreign direct investment in rare earth processing and semiconductor fabrication. This directly complements domestic industrial policies like the [Semicon India Programme] and [Make in India], creating synergies that promote domestic value addition. This integration into high-technology global value chains helps India mitigate the risks of global supply chain bottlenecks and combat the threat of economic coercion. Furthermore, it positions the Indian economy to transition from being primarily a consumer of digital services to a crucial node in global high-tech manufacturing and hardware exports.
Science & Technology
At its core, the alliance is designed to secure the infrastructure required for the artificial intelligence era. Modern AI systems, such as large language models and predictive algorithms, depend entirely on advanced semiconductor chips and massive computing hardware. Through associated bilateral agreements like the [India-US AI Opportunity Partnership], India gains preferential access to advanced processors, joint research and development frameworks, and next-generation data center investments. For UPSC aspirants, it is essential to understand that securing the AI stack (comprising physical hardware, raw data, and trained models) prevents foreign trade embargoes or licensing restrictions from stunting India's digital growth. This technological sovereignty ensures the nation can sustainably scale its digital public infrastructure, empowering sectors from agriculture to defense with secure AI capabilities.