India and US Formalize Joint AI Strategy, Deepening Tech Alliance

The governments of India and the United States formalized key agreements in New Delhi on February 20, 2026, during the 'India AI Impact Summit 2026,' establishing a joint strategic roadmap for Artificial Intelligence. This high-level convening, recognized as the first major global AI summit hosted in the Global South, signals an elevation of the strategic partnership between the two nations, focusing specifically on technological cooperation and resilient supply chains.

The formalization included the exchange of signatures on the 'U.S.-India AI Opportunity Partnership' Joint Statement, which functions as a bilateral addendum to the broader 'Pax Silica Declaration.' The central objective of these agreements is to cultivate a shared vision for AI's future, emphasizing economic growth, technological security, and the development of an open and trustworthy AI ecosystem. Both nations concluded that the trajectory of the 21st century is intrinsically linked to Artificial Intelligence, necessitating substantial investment across the technological backbone, including hardware, energy infrastructure, computing power, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Key figures present at the signing ceremony underscored the commitment to this alignment. The documents were signed by S. Krishnan, Secretary of India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jacob Helberg. They were joined by Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw and White House Director of Science and Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios. Minister Vaishnaw linked India's semiconductor ambitions to long-term economic compounding, while Ambassador Gor highlighted India's strategic value through its engineering capabilities and trusted position in global supply chains.

The 'U.S.-India AI Opportunity Partnership' is structured to promote pro-innovation regulatory frameworks, strengthen the physical AI stack, and support free enterprise, echoing the vision set forth by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump under the TRUST initiative. This partnership intends to empower developers and startups, facilitate industry investment in next-generation data centers, improve access to advanced processors, and accelerate the development of novel AI models and applications. A central component of the proceedings was India's formal entry into the US-led 'Pax Silica' initiative, solidifying cooperation across the entire 'silicon stack'—from critical mineral extraction to chip manufacturing and AI deployment.

Pax Silica, launched in December of the previous year, seeks to build a secure and resilient supply chain network among partner nations, with India joining as the twelfth member alongside countries such as Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. This end-to-end focus is designed to mitigate 'coercive dependencies' and 'single points of failure' within complex global technology pipelines. Concurrently, the AI Impact Summit addressed broader global governance, resulting in 88 countries signing the non-binding New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact, which champions an 'AI for All' vision rooted in the Sanskrit principle of 'Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya.'

The summit also saw the US administration actively facilitating the expansion of major US tech companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic into India, viewing this technological integration as central to the US strategy in the technology sector. Despite the forward momentum, the event experienced domestic political friction, with India Youth Congress workers voicing opposition to the trade deal framework signed with the US. Nevertheless, the formalization of the AI Summit agreements and India's entry into Pax Silica represent a concrete step in operationalizing the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership toward securing a technological future for both nations.