India formally joins Pax Silica Declaration on sidelines of Global AI Impact Summit

NEW DELHI: India on Friday signed and joined the Pax Silica Declaration on the sidelines of the Global AI Impact Summit being held here in the national capital.

US Ambassador to India Segio Gor; Jacob Helberg, United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Union Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw were present during the signing of the declaration.

Gor earlier highlighted India’s determination and the expanding scope of cooperation between the two countries. Welcoming India to the Pax Silica initiative he said by signing this partnership the two nations had chosen to win.

“We welcome India joining to co found the future tax silicon is about free society, whether free societies will control the commanding heights of the global economy. It’s about whether innovation happens in Bangalore and Silicon Valley or in surveillance states they use technology to monitor and control their people. We choose freedom, we choose partnership. We choose strength. And today, with India’s entry into Pax silica, we choose to win”, Gor said

US Ambassador welcomes India into PAX Silica at #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026, highlighting India’s talent, tech strength, and strategic role in free, secure, and innovative global AI supply chains. @USAmbIndia @PMOIndia @GoI_MeitY @WhiteHouse #IndiaAI #PAXSilica… pic.twitter.com/Uan4go2Wjd

— DD India (@DDIndialive) February 20, 2026

Jacob Helberg, United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment also hailed India joining the Pax Silica Declaration, noting that it underscores the importance of economic security translating into national security and stands in the face of coercion and blackmail undermining prosperity of nations.

His remarks come as India formally joins the Pax Silica — the US-led effort on artificial intelligence and supply chain security on the sidelines of the Global AI Impact Summit being held here in the national capital. Pax Silica is the US Department of State’s flagship effort on AI and supply chain security, advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners.

India joins Pax Silica

Securing silicon supply chain, advancing semiconductor manufacturing. pic.twitter.com/5I117ZPfHs

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) February 20, 2026

The Pax Silica Declaration underlines the importance of a reliable supply chain indispensable to mutual economic security and recognises AI as a transformative force for long-term prosperity. The partnership comes shortly after India participated at the Critical Minerals Ministerial convened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in February represented by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The India AI Impact Summit 2026, the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South, has brought together policymakers, industry leaders, academics and civil society representatives to deliberate on responsible AI governance and inclusive technological advancement.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Friday didn’t hold back his enthusiasm for the current state of bilateral ties. “It’s been a very impactful summit”, Gor said fresh from the opening sessions of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. “We have a lot of opportunities between our two nations. We look forward to engaging with that”.

In his keynote address at the closing day of the AI India Impact Summit ahead of signing of the Pax Silica initiative between the two nations, he said by signing this partnership, the two nations had chosen to win. He redefined the bilateral relationship as a “coalition of the capable and the willing.”

#WATCH | Delhi: On the India-US trade agreement, Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to India, says, “I think we have a great relationship. The first thing is the great friendship between our president and your prime minister. The signing will happen very soon. In fact, even this week, we… pic.twitter.com/lpuaoGZxPq

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2026

Gor framed India’s entry into Pax Silica as the final piece of a global puzzle intended to keep the “commanding heights” of technology in the hands of free nations. Gor formally welcomed India as a co-founder of the Pax Silica coalition, declaring that the partnership between the world’s two largest democracies is now “limitless.”

Opening his address, Gor reflected on his recent travels across the country, noting that while India’s scale is often the headline, it is the spirit of the people that left the deepest impression.

“What struck me most wasn’t just India’s scale, although that is breathtaking, but India’s resolve — the determination to chart your own course,” Gor stated. “I keep talking about the limitless potential between our two nations, and I truly mean it. From the trade deal to Pax Silica to defence cooperation, the potential for our two nations to work together is truly limitless, and I aim to fulfill that over the next three years that I’m here”.

The Ambassador highlighted that this week’s announcements were built on the foundation of the interim trade agreement between India and US concluded recently, a deal he said “shapes the economic contours of the Indo-Pacific.”

“We overcame friction points that had held us back for far too long. That agreement wasn’t just about trade flows or tariff schedules. It was about two great democracies saying we will build together, not just buy from one another,” Gor said. “And now today, we take the next step. India joins Pax Silica, the coalition that will define the 21st Century economic and technological order.”

“Pax Silica is designed to secure an entire silicon stack – from the mines where we extract critical minerals, to the fabs where we manufacture chips, to the data centres where we deploy frontier AI,” Gor explained. “It’s a coalition of capabilities that replaces coercive dependencies with a positive-sum alliance of trusted industrial bases.”

He emphasized that India’s role is far from ornamental: “India’s entry into Pax Silica isn’t just symbolic; it’s strategic. It’s essential. India is a nation with deep talent, deep enough to rival challengers.” In a pointed reference to the geopolitical climate, Gor argued that the technological partnership is fundamentally linked to national security and sovereignty.

“Peace doesn’t come from hoping adversaries will play fair. We all know they won’t. Peace comes through strength. India understands this,” Gor noted. “That strength, that sovereignty, is exactly what Pax Silica amplifies. Because here’s the truth: strength multiplies when it’s connected.”

Further, Gor in his address said, “It’s about whether innovation happens in Bangalore and Silicon Valley, or in surveillance states that use technology to monitor and control their people,” Gor declared. “We choose freedom, we choose partnership. We choose strength. And today, with India’s entry into Pax Silica, we choose to win.”

The initiative was launched in December at the Pax Silica Summit in Washington, with partner nations including Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, during this week, landmark agreements- including the India-America Connect subsea cable initiative and Google’s $15 billion infrastructure commitment were concluded setting a trajectory for the US-India tech partnership through 2030 and beyond.

The India AI Impact Summit has brought together government policymakers, industry AI experts, academicians, technology innovators and civil society from across the world at New Delhi to advance global discussions on artificial intelligence.

The Summit saw participation of more than 110 countries, 30 International organizations, including about 20 HoS/HoG level participation, about 45 Ministers. This summit is fourth in the series of AI summits held at UK Bletchley Park in 2023, South Korea in 2024 and France in 2025. (ANI)