NEW DELHI: India will be invited next month to join a new US-led initiative aimed at securing AI supply chains, the new US ambassador to New Delhi said Monday.
Ties between the allies have plummeted after US President Donald Trump slapped 50 percent tariffs on most Indian imports in August over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, even as officials continue to negotiate a long-delayed trade agreement.
Speaking to reporters at the US embassy, ambassador Sergio Gor said India would be asked to become a full member of the Pax Silica initiative, launched by the United States last month.
The US-led endeavour includes key Asia-Pacific allies — Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia — as well as Israel, and is meant to counter China’s growing dominance in AI supply chains.
Dubbed the “Pax Silica”, after the Latin terms for peace and silicon, the alliance aims to secure supply chains of key components independent of China.
“As the world adopts new technology, it is essential that India and the United States work hand-in-hand from the very start of this initiative,” said Gor, ahead of his first day at work.
Gor, who described India as “no partner more essential” to the United States, said he had arrived with a mandate to take ties “to the next level”, calling the relationship an intersection of the “world’s oldest and world’s largest democracies”.
The ambassador highlighted the personal rapport between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The United States and India are bound not just by shared interests, but by relationship anchored at the highest levels. Real friends can disagree, but always resolve their differences in the end,” he said.
Gor expressed optimism over the ongoing trade negotiations, saying both countries were “determined to get there”.
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