New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) India on Friday formally joined Pax Silica, a US-led initiative to bring together an initial group of countries closely tied to semiconductor manufacturing and advanced technology supply chains, at the ‘AI Impact Summit 2026’ here.

US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, said the emerging era of “Pax Silica” would define the 21st century economic and technological order, describing India’s participation as both strategic and essential.

Emphasising India’s deep talent pool and its capacity to challenge global rivals, the US envoy noted that New Delhi is advancing critical minerals processing capabilities and that the United States is actively engaging with India in this domain.

Gor further stated that Washington is prepared to share trusted technologies with India and said India has a strong understanding of the geopolitical realities of this part of the world.

He said it’s been a very impactful summit and “We have a lot of opportunities between our two nations, and so we look forward on engaging on that.”

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the world now trusts India more than ever.

“We have a large talent pool, and we have conducted our foreign policy in a way which creates their trust. As part of that, today, the Pax Silica was signed, which is very important for the semiconductor supply chain, semiconductor manufacturing, and chip design, for establishing the entire semiconductor ecosystem in our country,” the minister said during the event.

This will greatly benefit India’s electronics and semiconductor industry, he said.

“Ten plants are already established in India and are in the process of being established, and very soon, the first semiconductor plant will begin commercial production. In that context, the most advanced two-nanometer chips are being designed in India today. A complete ecosystem is emerging in India. Pax Silica will be crucial for this, and the youth of India will benefit from it,” said Vaishnaw.

India’s participation in Pax Silica would help the country scale collaborations with advanced economies, attract investment and deepen supply‑chain resilience.

–IANS

na/svn