Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will join the US-led ‘Pax Silica’ initiative in the coming days, US Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg has told Reuters.

The two Middle Eastern countries are expected to sign the declaration on January 15, three days after the founding members, including Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Britain, and Australia, sign.

Launched by the US Department of State in December 2025, Pax Silica was founded with the aim of developing a secure supply chain for semiconductors. Pax is Latin for 'peace,' most notably used to denote Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace in the Roman Empire. The period after WWII has been referred to by some as Pax Americana.

Once the declaration has been signed, participant countries will explore opportunities to partner on flagship projects across global technology stacks, including connectivity and data infrastructure, compute and semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, logistics, mineral refining and processing, and energy.

During the interview with Reuters, Helberg said that, in 2026, the Pax Silica group will also focus on expanding its membership and identify ways in which they can secure supply chains and protect critical infrastructure and technology.

Additional Pax Silica-linked initiatives such as Fort Foundry One – an industrial park jointly developed by the US and Israel, and housed in Israel – are also set to be launched later this month, with a Memorandum of Understanding focused on AI cooperation slated to be signed on January 16.