By Shubhajit Roy, Pratyush Deep & Ravi Dutta Mishra
As India on Friday joined the Pax Silica, a US-led strategic alliance focused on securing AI and tech supply chains, US Ambassador Sergio Gor said Secretary of StateMarco Rubiowill be visiting India “very soon, in a matter of months”.This was an indication of the recent warming of ties between the two countries after months of strained relations over the Trump administration’s tariffs on India.
Gor also said that the India-US trade deal is set to be inked soon. Asked about the Quad grouping, he said, “The Quad is very important. The first meeting that Secretary Rubio had was with the Quad. And that sends a message to the world. He didn’t meet with anyone else. It was the Quad. So that’s something we’re fully engaged in. We’re actively in talks. I don’t have exact dates, but Secretary Rubio will be travelling to India very soon, in a matter of months. And so that’ll be part of the Quad, along with many other initiatives.”
On the likelihood of PresidentDonald Trump’svisit to India, Gor, who has been his close aide, said, “In terms of the President’s visit, the Prime Minister invited him. I don’t have any announcements for you soon. The President loved his visit to India. When he nominated me to be ambassador here, one thing he said is the vibrancy, the colour, the history and the culture that you’re gonna see in India is unmatched, and so I’m sure he will be back here at some point.”
After the agreement on Pax Silica was signed, US Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, while welcoming India to the coalition, flagged challenges arising out of “massively over-concentrated” supply chains for critical minerals and “threats of economic coercion and blackmail”. This was read as a thinly-veiled reference to China which restricted export of rare earth magnets, a critical component in machines ranging from aircraft to refrigerators.
Gor said India’s entry brings strength to the coalition. “Policies that will reinforce US-India tech cooperation will power AI innovation and adoption for years to come. We can share trustedAI technologywith the world and especially with partners like India,” he said.
“And critically, India brings strength. Peace doesn’t come from hoping adversaries will play fair. We all know they won’t. Peace comes through strength. India understands this. India understands strong borders,” he said. “India understands this part of the world. That strength, that sovereignty is exactly what Pax Silica amplifies. Because here’s the truth: strength multiplies when it’s connected.”
Strategic Strength
The Pax Silica pact was formally signed at a ceremony held at the AI Impact Summit. It was attended by Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, Secretary S Krishnan, Helberg, Gor and Michael Kratsios, Director of the US Office of Science and Technology Policy.
On how responsibilities would be shared under Pax Silica and whether it could provide an alternative front for securing critical minerals, Helberg said the initiative is not limited to government-to-government cooperation but also enables private sector partnerships.
“So in terms of shared responsibility, one of the things that makes Pax Silica effective is that it’s not just a G2G platform, it’s also a platform that allows businesses to actually forge partnerships, private sector to private sector. Part of the spirit of the Trump administration is we believe in industry and we believe in markets,” he said.
Asked about India’s import of oil from Venezuela, Gor said that discussions were still underway and details had not yet been made public. He said there are active negotiations on the issue and that the US Department of Energy is in talks with India’s Ministry of Energy.
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “India joined the Pax Silica initiative by becoming a signatory to the Pax Silica Declaration. India also signed a Joint Statement on the ‘India-US AI Opportunity Partnership’ as a bilateral addendum to the Declaration.”
“Minister Vaishnaw highlighted the strong potential for India and the United States to collaborate on supply chain security and emphasised that cooperation under Pax Silica would further deepen engagement on critical technologies and supply chain resilience under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” it said.
The MEA said 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.
The Pax Silica strategic initiative, seen as a counter to China’s grip on the global manufacturing supply chain, was launched on December 12, 2025 to “reduce coercive dependencies” and build a “secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain” – from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics.
