India is reportedly in discussions with the United States to potentially join the Pax Silica group, a US-led supply chain partnership focused on critical minerals and semiconductor technology. According to US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, India may join the multilateral initiative in the first half of 2026, alongside possible participation from the European Union and Taiwan.

Pax Silica is a strategic initiative designed to establish a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain, encompassing critical minerals, energy inputs, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics. The initiative aims to reduce reliance on any single source for critical minerals, particularly China, and to foster a reliable ecosystem across the global technology supply chain.

The US State Department has stated that Pax Silica aims to diminish coercive dependencies, protect critical materials and capabilities essential for artificial intelligence, and assist partner countries in scaling new technologies.

The current members of Pax Silica include Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. These countries signed the Pax Silica declaration in Washington D.C. on December 12.

India's potential inclusion in Pax Silica is noteworthy, especially considering that it was not part of the initial group. Some speculations arose that India's initial exclusion was due to strained trade relations with the U.S., but Helberg clarified that the selection of initial countries was based on their specific roles in the global supply chain. He emphasized that discussions with India regarding economic security are ongoing and separate from trade talks. Helberg has also stated that the U.S. views India as a "highly strategic potential partner" for supply chain security.

Helberg has denied that political tensions played a role in India's initial exclusion, reiterating the U.S.'s openness to collaborating closely with New Delhi on supply chain security. He clarified that conversations between the U.S. and India pertaining to trade arrangements are separate from discussions on supply chain security.

To further strengthen ties, Helberg plans to attend the IndiaAI Impact Summit in Delhi in February of next year. He anticipates that this summit will yield key deliverables for the economic security partnership between India and the United States.

The U.S. sees India as a crucial partner in securing global supply chains for AI and semiconductors and aims to deepen collaboration with New Delhi on economic security matters. This collaboration aligns with the broader U.S. economic security strategy, which includes rebalancing trade, stabilizing conflict zones, reindustrializing the United States, and securing supply chains.