India Joins US-Led Pax Silica AI and Chip Alliance

India formally joined Pax Silica, a U.S.-led strategic alliance, on February 20, 2026, during the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The coalition aims to secure the entire "silicon stack"—from the extraction of critical minerals and rare earth elements to semiconductor fabrication and AI deployment—to reduce global dependence on China and prevent economic coercion.

The agreement was signed by Indian Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor, with U.S. Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg in attendance. India becomes the tenth member of the group, which includes Japan, South Korea, the UK, and Israel. In exchange for access to advanced manufacturing equipment and GPU infrastructure, India offers its significant rare earth reserves and a growing semiconductor design ecosystem.

This strategic alignment follows a reset in bilateral relations. President Donald Trump lowered reciprocal import tariffs on India from 25% to 18% and removed levies on Russian crude oil imports after Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to halt those purchases. Concurrent with the alliance, Google committed $15 billion to Indian infrastructure, including a gigawatt-scale AI hub in Visakhapatnam.

While the U.S. and India framed the move as a "coalition of the capable and the willing," the Government of China opposed the alliance, characterizing it as an attempt to decouple supply chains and disrupt global markets. Domestically, the move faced opposition from Congress party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, who campaigned against the accompanying interim trade deal citing adverse impacts on farmers.