India is joining the US-led Pax Silica initiative, giving Washington its biggest win yet in the race to shape and influence who gets access to advanced semiconductor and AI infrastructure supply chains.
PAX Silica is a Trump administration effort that aims to secure the global supply chain for silicon-based technologies. India joins Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, Israel, the United Kingdom and Australia, in addition to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as core members.
India’s participation, which will be formalized on Thursday at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, brings one of the world’s largest technology markets, and a member of the BRICS alliance, to Pax Celica at a time when competition for AI hardware is intensifying across geopolitical blocs.
“Pax Celica is not actually about China, it’s about America. We want to secure our supply chains,” Jacob Helberg, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday.
“We look to India as a partner to help reduce risks and diversify those supply chains,” Helberg added.
Under Secretary of State Jacob Hellberg will convene the Pax Celica Summit, the first high-level private summit focused on economic security and creating a new group of partners tailored to the AI economy, at the Donald J. Trump Peace Institute on December 12, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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India’s entry into Pax Silica also comes as Washington faces scrutiny over how it grants access to advanced AI chips to foreign partners. Recent reports in the Wall Street Journal have sparked warnings from Congress about possible conflicts of interest or corruption.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of the United Arab Emirates, bought a secret 49% stake in the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency project. Months after Tahnoun bought the $500 million stake, the United States agreed to give the UAE access to 500,000 of America’s most advanced artificial intelligence chips annually.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launches a “concierge service” with an artificial intelligence chip
The US State Department also announced that it will pilot a new “concierge service” designed to help Pax-Silica signatories obtain US-made AI semiconductors more efficiently.
Helberg, who champions the U.S. effort, said the service will bolster the department’s diplomatic presence around the world and provide advisory support to help trusted governments and industry leaders navigate procurement and delivery timelines for advanced chips.
“It actually helps turn our diplomats… into business development officers for American AI, ensuring that American technology wins contracts over alternatives by making the procurement process easier for our allies,” Helberg told CNBC. “This is really part of our strategy to win the AI race,” he added.
— Emma Graham She contributed to this report.
