This move follows ongoing efforts by both countries to finalize a bilateral trade deal and advance multiple initiatives aimed at strengthening their relationship after a period of tension.
Author: Akshita Jain | EQMint | Events
India signed a declaration on Friday to join the US-led Pax Silica alliance, a group that aims to branch out resilient supply chains for critical minerals and artificial intelligence. The declaration was inked at the India AI Impact Summit happening in Delhi.
The move is a part of the two countries’ joint efforts to finalise the proposed bilateral trade agreement and go ahead with several other initiatives to strengthen their relationship after a period of strained relations.
Pax Silica: Boosting Tech Cooperation and Economic Growth Through AI
The Pax Silica initiative is centered on intensifying technological cooperation and ensuring the stable access of important resources to next-generation industries. One of its main focuses is to set up a stable economic framework that would enable partner nations to leverage AI for more rapid growth.
Other countries in the Pax Silica club are Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore, the UAE, and the UK.
According to the Pax Silica declaration, “We recognise that a reliable supply chain is indispensable to our mutual economic security”.
It also stated, “We think that value creation and economic growth will be the result of and happen at all levels of the global AI supply chain, thus creating unprecedented opportunities and energy demands, requiring critical minerals, manufacturing, technological hardware, infrastructure, and opening new markets that are yet to be invented”.
The declaration also explores deeper economic and technological collaboration along supply chain,s as well as a pledge to shared prosperity and security.
On the other hand, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that Pax Silica will be “a huge catalyst” for India’s electronics and semiconductor sector.
India’s Pact with Pax Silica to Propel Semiconductor Growth and Tech Innovation
“India has joined the Pax Silica, which will be a huge boost for India’s electronics and semiconductor sector,” Vaishnaw said after the declaration was signed.
He mentioned that the company’s first semiconductor plant will start commercial production very soon.
“There are already 10 plants in India that have been established or are in the process of being established, and very soon, the first semiconductor plant will start commercial production. In that regard, the world’s most advanced 2-nanometer chips are being designed in India at the moment. An entire ecosystem is developing in India. Pax Silica will be pivotal for this, and the youth of India will be the ones to benefit from it,” he explained.
He has also used the opportunity to slam the grand old Congress party.
In a not-so-subtle criticism of the main opposition party, Vaishnaw said, “If that spirit had been kept alive since 1947, we could have all imagined how much compounding would have contributed to the growth of India. It’s okay, even if it’s from 2014. Now the benefits of this compounding will be enjoyed by your generation.”
He went on to say that Indian engineers are creating the most complicated, most advanced 2-nanometer chips right here in India.
“We all realize that the semiconductor industry will need around one million more skilled personnel. Where shall this talent come from? It will come from here. Students now have access to the world’s top semiconductor design tools, and they are totally free. And it’s producing the desired effect. Whenever we talk about chips, some people associate it with potato chips. Never mind, they will continue to cry,”
Further, he noted that while the opposition keeps on complaining, India has to make progress.
“Sometimes they cry in Parliament, sometimes somewhere else. All these things will happen, so we must get on with our lives. Our country is well directed, has a clear goal, and we need to establish global leadership in the semiconductor and electronics industries.”
Key Step Toward Semiconductor Leadership, Says US Ambassador
Besides, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor stated that India’s membership of Pax Silica was not only a move with symbolic importance but “strategically and essentially” made.
“It is a country with a lot of talent, so even if the challenges are tough, the talent will be sufficient to overcome them. Indian engineering prowess provides essential capabilities to this very important coalition. Besides the talent, India has taken significant steps in the area of critical minerals processing capacity, and this is something that we are totally involved in as well. Policies that would strengthen US-India tech cooperation would be the main drivers of AI innovation and adoption for years ahead. We will be able to provide the world, and especially partners like India, with trusted AI technology,” he said.
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