Qatar joins the US-led Pax Silica initiative to strengthen the MENA AI supply chain and secure AI infrastructure, semiconductors, and compute capacity.
Qatar has joined a US-led initiative aimed at safeguarding global AI supply chains, as Washington moves to align capital-rich allies around critical technologies spanning semiconductors, data centres, and advanced manufacturing.
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The programme, known as Pax Silica, was launched in December by the US Department of State and targets vulnerabilities across the AI ecosystem—from critical minerals and energy to compute infrastructure, logistics, and chip manufacturing.
Qatar signed on to the initiative on Monday. Its participation will involve joint capital deployment into mineral security, upgrades to logistics infrastructure, and closer cooperation with the US on AI development, data centres, and computing capacity, according to the State Department.
The pact is designed to establish a shared economic security framework among trusted partners, reducing reliance on supply chains exposed to geopolitical risk. Other signatories include Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, and Israel, with the United Arab Emirates expected to join later this week, Reuters reported.
The State Department said Pax Silica brings together nations with the “capital, industrial capacity, and strategic will” to protect critical technologies from being weaponised in geopolitical conflicts.
Pax Silica’s objectives include cutting “coercive dependencies”, coordinating investment, safeguarding sensitive technologies, and building trusted digital infrastructure.
According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the initiative explicitly promotes coordination across AI software platforms, foundation models, connectivity and network infrastructure, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, logistics, minerals processing, and energy.
Jacob Helberg, US undersecretary for economic affairs, said in January that participating countries contribute different strategic strengths: Australia’s critical minerals, Israel’s cybersecurity expertise, South Korea’s semiconductor manufacturing, and the UK’s AI research capacity.
Why Qatar-US-Led Pact Matters to MENA
Qatar’s participation in Pax Silica strengthens the MENA AI supply chain, positioning the region as a key player in global AI and semiconductor access. Gulf states can leverage sovereign wealth AI investments to secure critical digital infrastructure and AI compute capacity. With Qatar and the UAE managing nearly $3 trillion in assets, the region is increasingly shaping the future of AI, cloud computing, and technology innovation in MENA.
Qatar and the UAE are aggressively pursuing AI investments. The UAE has sought expanded access to advanced AI chips from Nvidia, with the White House approving exports to Abu Dhabi-backed AI firm G42 in late 2025.
