SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) | Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) | Ministry of Mines
India has formally joined the Pax Silica coalition at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, marking a decisive step in deepening strategic technology and supply chain cooperation with the United States. The initiative is designed to secure the entire “silicon stack”—from critical mineral extraction and semiconductor fabrication to advanced frontier AI systems.
By aligning as trusted partners, both nations aim to reduce overconcentration in global supply chains, prevent economic coercion, and ensure that the commanding heights of the global economy are governed by open, democratic societies.
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that India’s semiconductor journey is already at the cutting edge, with engineers designing two-nanometer chips, and projected a requirement for one million new skilled professionals to anchor this growth.
Key Pillars of the Pax Silica Initiative
Secure Silicon Stack: Protecting the full value chain from mines (critical minerals) to fabs (chips) and data centres (frontier AI).
Democratic Technology Governance: Ensuring emerging technologies are developed by trusted nations committed to freedom and the rule of law.
Supply Chain Resilience: Reducing overconcentration and “weaponized dependency” to prevent economic blackmail by non-democratic actors.
Strategic Talent Development: Leveraging India’s demographic dividend to train one million professionals for the global semiconductor industry.
Economic Security as National Security: Affirming that technological sovereignty is foundational to the national security of democratic partners.
What is the “Silicon Stack”? The silicon stack refers to the complete, interconnected layer of technologies that power the modern digital economy. It begins with the extraction of critical minerals deep in the earth, moves through the complex manufacturing of silicon wafers in semiconductor “fabs,” and culminates in the deployment of advanced AI intelligence in global data centres. Securing the “full stack” means ensuring that no single part of this chain—whether it is raw materials or high-end compute—is controlled by a single, untrusted entity, thereby protecting the “commanding heights” of global economic and technological order.
Policy Relevance
For India, joining Pax Silica represents a transition from “Component Assembly” to “Stack Leadership,” where the country becomes a primary architect of the global democratic tech order.
Standardizing 2nm Chip Design: India’s capability in designing two-nanometer chips acts as a “Standard Maker” move, positioning the country at the absolute frontier of global hardware innovation.
Bypassing “Weaponized Dependency”: Aligning with the US helps India secure its supply of critical minerals and high-end GPUs, bypassing the risks of over-reliance on non-trusted geographies.
Operationalizing the Million-Talent Goal: The projected requirement for one million professionals aligns with the Skill India Mission’s goal of making India the “Sovereign Talent Hub” for the global silicon stack.
Federal Semiconductor Momentum: Pax Silica provides the strategic “cover” needed to accelerate the ₹10,300 crore IndiaAI Mission and the massive GPU expansion planned for 2026-27.
Implementation Fidelity via Trusted Partnerships: Collaborating with global leaders like Micron and Tata Electronics ensures that India’s semiconductor fabs are integrated into a “win-win ecosystem” of secure, resilient supply chains.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can a ‘Pax Silica Certification’ be designed to train the required ‘one million professionals’ in 2nm design and clean-room fabrication?
Follow the full update here: India Joins Pax Silica at India AI Impact Summit 2026 - February 20, 2026