'Invited as a full member': US ambassador announces India's entry into PaxSilica silicon alliance

India will be invited to join PaxSilica as a full member next month, newly appointed US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said after assuming charge on Monday. The move signals a deepening of strategic cooperation between New Delhi and Washington in critical technology and supply chains.

"I am pleased to announce that India will be invited to join PaxSilica as a full member next month," Gor said, outlining Washington's latest effort to build a secure and resilient silicon ecosystem. He described PaxSilica as a US-led strategic initiative launched last month to strengthen the entire silicon value chain, from raw materials to advanced technologies.

"I also want to share with you today a new initiative that the United States launched just last month called PaxSilica. PaxSilica is a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI development, and logistics," he said.

Gor said several key US partners had already joined the initiative in its first phase. "Nations that joined last month include Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Israel. Today, I am pleased to announce that India will be invited to join this group of nations as a full member next month," he said.

The announcement places India alongside some of Washington's closest technology and security partners as global competition intensifies over semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and supply-chain resilience.

Gor also addressed questions around the ongoing India-US trade negotiations, saying discussions were continuing and another round was scheduled imminently. "Many of you have asked me for an update on the ongoing trade deal negotiations. Both sides continue to actively engage. In fact, the next call on trade will occur tomorrow," he said.

Acknowledging the scale and complexity of negotiations with India, Gor said both sides remained committed to moving talks forward. "India is the world's largest nation. So, it's not an easy task to get this across the finish line, but we are determined to get there," he said.

He added that while trade remains an important pillar of the bilateral relationship, cooperation between the two countries extends far beyond commercial negotiations. "And while trade is very important for our relationship, we will continue to work closely together on other very important areas such as security, counter-terrorism, energy, technology, education, and health," Gor said.