"Excited to partner India": US Under Secy for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg at sidelines of Pax Silica Summit
Washington DC, June 25
US Under Secretary of Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said that the US was happy to partner with India on the Pax Silica initiative. Helberg was speaking on the sidelines of the 2nd Pax Silica Summit, held in Washington DC.
"We are incredibly excited to partner with India. India was one of the first top 10 countries to join Pax Silica. Our Ambassador in India has really been a remarkable steward of the US-India relationship which, as he says, we believe is one of the single-most consequential bilateral relationships in the world in the 21st century. We were able to cover a lot of very timely issues in our bilateral exchanges with India yesterday, including on the Quad, on the trust initiative, and we are really excited to have India along with so many representatives of the Indian business sector at the Summit to really translate a lot of those translations into practical collaborations," Helberg said.
Earlier, speaking at the summit Helberg announced the launch of PaxPass, a platform to streamline the movement of critical AI goods and the Foundry School, a workforce development initiative with Stanford to train advanced manufacturing leaders.
"I'm excited to announce a new Pax Silica Artificial Intelligence Assistance project for Pax partners that ship high-value AI supply chain products through Panama. We will launch Pax Pass, an ambitious new platform that has the potential to transform how trusted partners move the critical goods that power the AI economy by combining cargo verification, AI-powered risk assessment and pre-approved expedited processing for trusted shipments. Pax Pass will reduce friction, strengthen supply chain resilience and accelerate trusted trade. To support this effort, the United States is committing $50 million in foreign assistance funding dedicated to the development and deployment of Pax Pass. We're putting our resources behind our vision and demonstrating that trusted partnership is backed by real investment," he said.
"We will also launch Foundry School, a workforce development initiative built in partnership with Stanford to equip entrepreneurs, engineers and advanced manufacturing leaders across the Pax Silica economies. Foundry School will begin with a seminar series at Stanford gathering the greatest luminaries of advanced manufacturing to teach the principles behind the world's most successful industrial enterprises. In parallel, Stanford and the State Department will develop a first-of-its-kind curriculum for institutions across Pax Silica economies to adopt and teach...Our hope is that this is only the first of a handful of such zones across the Pax Silica network, creating a connected ecosystem where investment, innovation and trusted production reinforce one another across partner countries," he added.
On Wednesday, MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan had met with Helberg as part of an effort to deepen bilateral technological cooperation between India and the US. They discussed avenues for cooperation in building diversified and trusted supply chains, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing, AI adoption, and securing access to critical minerals.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This Pax Silica initiative sounds promising - streamlined trade, AI supply chains, and workforce training! India benefits from being a trusted partner in the global AI economy. But I hope the Foundry School curriculum is made accessible outside Stanford too.
India joining as one of the first top 10 countries shows we're serious about AI leadership. The Quad collaboration and trust initiative mentioned are also crucial. But we need to ensure these partnerships create real jobs for Indian engineers, not just token representation at summits. Proud moment nonetheless! 🇮🇳🚀
The PaxPass platform sounds innovative for AI supply chains - combining cargo verification with AI risk assessment. But I'm wary about the lack of details on data privacy and security. Good initiative overall though, especially the workforce development with Stanford.
I'm cautiously optimistic. The US calling India a 'consequential bilateral relationship' is a big deal. But we've heard similar promises before - let's see if actual technology transfer happens, especially in semiconductors and AI. The MeitY Secretary's meeting signals seriousness though. Need more substance, less rhetoric.
Finally some tangible outcomes from all the summit talk! PaxPass could revolutionize how trust is built in AI supply chains. And Foundry School training Indian entrepreneurs at Stanford? Count me in! 🇮🇳 The $50M commitment shows real investment, but India must ensure equitable access for smaller players too.
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