Context :

• The Second Pax Silica Summit was held in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.

Pax Silica Initiative :

• It is a major global alliance and strategic initiative led by the United States.
• Main Objective: To build a secure, trusted, and resilient global supply chain for Artificial Intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and critical minerals.
• Meaning of the Name: The term "Pax Silica" represents a rules-based technological order ("Pax") centered on silicon-based computing ("Silica").
• Organizer: The initiative is led and organized by the U.S. Department of State.
• India's Participation: India joined the initiative during the AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi in February 2026.

First Summit :

• The inaugural summit was held on 12 December 2025 in Washington, D.C., USA.
• Initially, only 8–10 founding countries participated (such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia, the UAE, etc.), and India was not a part of the initiative at that time.

Signing of the Pax Silica Declaration :

• The major highlight of the summit was the adoption and signing of the Pax Silica Declaration by the member countries.
• Through this declaration, member nations pledged to strengthen economic and technological cooperation across the entire value chain—from raw materials (critical minerals) to advanced AI systems.

Identification of the Six Key Supply Chain Pillars :

• During the summit, six strategic areas of cooperation were identified to strengthen the security of emerging technologies:
• Connectivity and Data Infrastructure (Data Centers and Cloud Networks)
• Compute and Semiconductors (Chip Design and Manufacturing)
• Advanced Manufacturing (Modern Technology Production)
• Logistics (Secure and Efficient Movement of Goods)
• Mineral Refining and Processing (Critical minerals such as Gallium and Germanium essential for AI)
• Energy Infrastructure (Robust power grids for AI and computing centers)

Second Summit (25–26 June 2026) :

• The summit was recently held in Washington, D.C., where India participated as a full member.
• Total Members: The alliance currently includes 35 countries, including India.

Key Highlights and Outcomes of the Summit :

• The two-day summit in Washington, D.C. was chaired by Jacob Helberg, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment.

AI Opportunity Joint Declaration :

• 35 countries, including India, Argentina, Germany, the Netherlands, Chile, Costa Rica, Greece, Kazakhstan, Panama, and the European Union, signed the declaration.
• Vision: The declaration advocates viewing AI from the perspective of innovation and opportunity rather than restrictions. It emphasizes capacity building and private investment instead of excessive regulation.

Launch of PaxPass :

• PaxPass is an innovative and ambitious trade platform.
• Function: It will facilitate the movement of critical goods required for the AI economy by integrating cargo verification, AI-powered risk assessment, and pre-approved fast-track processing for trusted shipments.
• Funding: The United States has announced US$50 million in foreign assistance to support the development and implementation of PaxPass.

Foundry School :

• Established in collaboration with Stanford University to develop a skilled workforce in advanced manufacturing.
• Its objective is to train entrepreneurs, engineers, and manufacturing leaders from Pax Silica member countries.

Innovation Sovereignty :

• The summit emphasized the concept of "Innovation Sovereignty" instead of "Digital Sovereignty."
• It focuses not merely on adopting existing technologies but on developing the capability to contribute to future technological innovations.
• India's Representation: The Indian delegation was led by S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Nagaraj Naidu, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs.