Qatar and UAE to officially join ‘Pax Silica’ within daysInitiative aims to move the Middle East toward a tech-driven economy.U.S. and Israel to launch ‘Fort Foundry One’ and a tentative AI memorandum on January 16.<\/p>\n
Jan 11 (Reuters) – Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will soon join a U.S.-led initiative to secure AI and semiconductor supply chains, Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg told Reuters in an interview.<\/p>\n
The addition of those two countries is notable given the Middle East\u2019s history of political divisions and reflects a U.S.-led effort to bring Israel and Gulf states into the same technology-focused economic framework.<\/p>\n
Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n The program, dubbed Pax Silica, seeks to safeguard the full technology supply chain, including critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, computing and data infrastructure. It is a key pillar of the Trump administration\u2019s economic statecraft strategy to reduce dependence on rival nations and strengthen cooperation among allied partners.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Silicon Declaration isn\u2019t just a diplomatic communiqu\u00e9,\u201d Helberg said. \u201cIt\u2019s meant to be an operational document for a new economic security consensus.\u201d<\/p>\n The group including Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Britain and Australia. Qatar is expected to sign the Pax Silica declaration on Jan. 12, followed by the UAE on Jan. 15.<\/p>\n Unlike traditional alliances, Helberg said, Pax Silica is a \u201ccoalition of capabilities,\u201d with membership driven by the industrial strengths and companies of each country.<\/p>\n Helberg said he hopes the initiative can help accelerate the Middle East\u2019s economic transition away from energy dependence, toward a more diversified, technology-driven economy.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the UAE and Qatar, this marks a shift from a hydrocarbon-centric security architecture to one focused on silicon statecraft,\u201d he said,<\/p>\n The moves come against the backdrop of The Future Minerals Forum, a government\u2011led global minerals and supply chain conference hosted by Saudi Arabia that will bring together senior officials, industry leaders and investors in Riyadh from January 13\u201115.<\/p>\n Helberg said the Pax Silica group will focus this year on expanding membership, building strategic projects to secure supply chains and coordinating policies to protect critical infrastructure and technology.<\/p>\n The group met in Washington last month. Helberg said he hopes it will meet a few times this year.<\/p>\n He said discussions are under way on projects that could modernize trade and logistics routes, including the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, using advanced U.S. technology to boost regional integration and expand America\u2019s economic footprint.<\/p>\n U.S. and Israeli officials plan to launch a Pax Silica-linked Strategic Framework, including the \u201cFort Foundry One\u201d industrial park in Israel to accelerate projects. AI cooperation will also be discussed, with a memorandum of understanding tentatively planned for January 16.<\/p>\n Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Sergio Non and Alistair Bell<\/p>\n Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab<\/a><\/p>\n