India on Friday joined Pax Silica, a US-led bloc seeking to strengthen technology and artificial intelligence supply chains.
The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the week-long and much anticipated India AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The event was attended by technology entrepreneurs, elected officials and thought leaders from all over the world.
India, the world's most populous country, has lofty technology aspirations. It joins Australia, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore, the UAE and the UK as an official member of the technology supply chain strategic alliance.
The ink of the signatures on the Pax Silica documents was still drying, however, when US President Donald Trump was dealt a blow by the Supreme Court.
In a 6-3 ruling, the highest court in the US struck down Mr Trump's highly touted power to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
He later told reporters that he strongly disagreed with the decision, while also insisting that a previous trade deal reached with India would be maintained.
“Nothing changes,” he said. “[Indian President Narendra] Modi is a great man, but he was much tougher in negotiations with others than he was in the deal with the US … we made a fair agreement with India.”
Meanwhile, the US State Department took a victory lap with India in place as Pax Silica member.
“India brings to Pax Silica a deep talent pool, processing and refining capacity for critical minerals, investments in AI infrastructure, and an understanding of the importance of trusted technologies,” a statement said.
The State Department also said an agreement was reached between the two countries that affirmed a less regulatory approach to AI.
“While some regions move towards stifling AI through overregulation and trepidation, the US and India are doubling down on free enterprise and private sector creativity,” its statement added.
That announcement, however, comes as polling in the US shows increased uneasiness with AI, much of it driven by fear of labour disruption and unemployment.
Shortly after the Pax Silica signing ceremony, Sergio Gor, the US ambassador to India, reflected on what he hoped would happen with the technology bloc in the future. He said India brought “deep engineering and manufacturing capabilities” along with a “strong trust factor” that would be essential to keep AI supply chains robust.
