PHL to join talks on safeguarding supply of materials considered strategic for AI dev’t

THE US plans to invite the Philippines to join a multinational initiative to safeguard supply chains for technology deemed vital to artificial intelligence (AI), a US State Department official said on Tuesday.

Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jacob Helberg said Philippine involvement in the US-led Pax Silica initiative follows a number of preliminary discussions, which he described as “very positive.”

“We are very eager and look forward to engaging the Philippines on Pax Silica,” he said at a virtual briefing. 

“I plan to extend an invitation to my counterpart in the first half of next year in order to be able to resume these discussions face-to-face, and we are confident they’re going to be very fruitful exchanges,” he added.

Pax Silica was launched last week with initial partners, including Japan, Singapore, Australia and South Korea. Designed to deepen economic and technology ties among participating countries, the initiative also seeks to diversify sources and reduce risks from dependence on material suppliers.

“If the 20^th century ran on oil and steel, the 21^st century is going to run on computers and minerals,” said Mr. Helberg. “We’re aligning our supply chains accordingly.”

Regarding competition for materials used in advanced technology, he said, “I think everyone understands who that is,” without referring specifically to China.

“Our strategy is to create a competitive edge so steep, so insurmountable that no adversary or competitor can scale it,” said Mr. Helberg. “That’s why our goal is to make America the arsenal of AI in this century.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio