United States and India Sign Pax Silica Declaration
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
U.S. Dept of State
February 20, 2026
On February 20, the United States and India signed the Pax Silica Declaration, hailing a growing geopolitical consensus that economic security is national security, and national security is economic security. India brings to Pax Silica a deep talent pool, processing and refining capacity for critical minerals, investments in AI infrastructure, and an understanding of the importance of trusted technologies.
The declaration reflecting India’s joining of Pax Silica was signed by U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, and Indian Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Shri S. Krishnan. The United States and India affirmed their commitment to promote pro-innovation regulations that foster AI innovation and promote the rapid buildout of secure and trusted AI ecosystems in both countries.
The U.S.-India Pax Silica Declaration is a critical step towards realizing the ambitious vision President Trump and Prime Minister Modi outlined for U.S.-India relations under the Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) initiative.
The United States welcomed India as the tenth Pax Silica signatory. It joins fellow signatories Australia, Israel, Japan, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Additional members are expected to follow.
The United States and India also formalized a landmark commitment to a pro-innovation regulatory framework. This partnership is particularly significant as a strategic counter-narrative to the rising global trend of restrictive, fear-based regulatory regimes. While some regions move toward stifling AI through over-regulation and trepidation, the United States and India are doubling down on free enterprise and private sector creativity. By facilitating cross-border investments and lowering barriers for startups and builders, this alliance can ensure that the world’s oldest and largest democracies remain the primary architects of the AI revolution, fostering an era of prosperity, security, and technological optimism.
Pax Silica is a positive-sum partnership of nations who want to remain competitive and prosperous.
India Joins Pax Silica Initiative, Signs the Joint Statement on India-U.S. AI Opportunity Partnership
On 20 February 2026, at a special event held on the margins of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, India joined the Pax Silica initiative by becoming a signatory to the Pax Silica Declaration. India also signed a Joint Statement on the “India-U.S. AI Opportunity Partnership” as a bilateral addendum to the Declaration.
- The documents were signed by Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and InforU.S. Dept of Statemation Technology, Shri S. Krishnan; U.S. Ambassador to India, Mr. Sergio Gor; and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, Mr. Jacob Helberg. The signing took place in the presence of Hon’ble Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, Mr. Michael Kratsios.
- In his keynote remarks, Minister Vaishnaw highlighted the strong potential for India and the United States to collaborate on supply chain security and emphasized that cooperation under Pax Silica would further deepen engagement on critical technologies and supply chain resilience under the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
- Ambassador Gor stated that India’s entry into Pax Silica is both strategic and essential. He underlined that India brings deep engineering and manufacturing capabilities, expanding capacity in critical mineral processing, and a strong trust factor, offering indispensable strengths to the coalition.
- Under Secretary Helberg noted that Pax Silica partners are building a new architecture that diffuses intelligence, placing the transformative power of AI in people’s hands and unlocking unprecedented possibilities.
- The signing ceremony was followed by a fireside chat moderated by Under Secretary Helberg. Participants included Secretary Krishnan, Ambassador Gor, CEO of Micron, Mr. Sanjay Mehrotra, and CEO of Tata Electronics, Dr. Randhir Thakur.
- Pax Silica seeks to build secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chains for technologies foundational to the AI era, particularly silicon and critical minerals that underpin semiconductors, advanced computing, and other high-technology systems.
- Through the Joint Statement on the AI Opportunity Partnership, India and the United States aim to promote pro-innovation regulatory approaches, strengthen the physical AI stack, and advance free enterprise. The partnership envisions empowering AI developers, startups, and ecosystem enablers; exploring joint research and development; facilitating industry partnerships and investments in next-generation data centers; enhancing cooperation on access to compute and advanced processors; and accelerating innovation in AI models and applications.
- Technology cooperation remains one of the central pillars of the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. India’s joining the Pax Silica initiative marks a significant step forward in deepening bilateral collaboration in critical and emerging technologies and reinforces the shared commitment of both countries to resilient, trusted, and future-ready supply chains.
New Delhi
February 20, 2026