Menu
Science & Technology

Pax Silica Initiative (UPSC-RAS)

Read in:
  • Pax Silica is a US-led initiative. The name signals intent: "Pax" is Latin for peace, and "Silica" refers to the silicon compounds at the heart of chip manufacturing — together suggesting that stable technology supply chains should be the foundation of global peace and order in the 21st century.
  • Members: 10 countries including Australia, Japan, UK, UAE, Israel, S. Korea, Singapore, Qatar, Greece + India
This means Pax Silica operates across 5 pillars

Pillar 

What it covers

1.Critical minerals

Lithium, cobalt, REEs — raw materials for chips and batteries

2.Semiconductor fabrication

Chip manufacturing fabs — currently dominated by TSMC (Taiwan), Samsung (S. Korea)

3.Advanced hardware

AI-optimised chips, servers, GPU clusters

4.AI infrastructure

Data centres, cloud computing, foundation models

5.Governance & standards

Cybersecurity, data architecture, sector-s

India's Role -

  • The US Department of State noted at the signing that India brings "a deep talent pool, processing and refining capacity for critical minerals, investments in AI infrastructure, and an understanding of the importance of trusted technologies." India has one of the fastest-growing electronics markets, an ambitious defence modernisation programme, expanding 5G infrastructure, and a geostrategic position in the Indo-Pacific. 
  • India's goal is to take a leadership role in the semiconductor and electronics industries. Indian engineers are designing the most complex and advanced two-nanometer chips.

Geopolitical Significance

  1. Semiconductors have found a place in contemporary geopolitics.
  2. Advanced chips power artificial intelligence systems, telecommunications networks, financial infrastructure, and modern defence platforms.
  3. This emerging landscape has produced a technology order structured around the control of semiconductor supply chains, advanced computing, and AI hardware — now anchored by the United States through Pax Silica.
  4. Where earlier international systems derived influence from industrial production or financial dominance, today, technological capability performs a comparable role.