Qatar & UAE Forge U.S.-Backed ’Pax Silica’ Tech Pact—A New Digital Alliance Emerges

The Gulf's power players just inked a deal that could redraw the tech map. Forget oil—this pact is built on silicon and strategy.

The Silicon Handshake

Qatar and the UAE aren't just neighbors; they're now co-architects in a U.S.-blessed framework dubbed 'Pax Silica.' It's a rare moment of alignment in a region more accustomed to rivalry. The pact focuses on shared tech infrastructure, data corridors, and joint R&D—essentially building a private digital highway that bypasses traditional geopolitical chokepoints.

What's In The Vault?

Details are guarded, but the scope spans semiconductor supply chains, quantum computing research, and AI sovereignty. The U.S. backing provides more than just a stamp of approval—it offers access to capital and a shield against external pressure. For two economies sitting on massive sovereign wealth funds, this move signals a pivot from buying tech to building it.

The Unspoken Calculus

Why now? Global tech fragmentation is accelerating. Both nations see the risk of being locked into someone else's stack. By pooling resources, they gain leverage and redundancy. It's a classic hedge—diversifying away from over-reliance on single suppliers or alliances. Watch for this framework to attract other wealth funds looking for a seat at the table, not just a line in a quarterly report.

The Bottom Line

This isn't a moonshot. It's a calculated deployment of capital into foundational tech—the kind of boring, essential plumbing that rarely makes headlines but ultimately determines who controls the flow. One cynical take? It's the ultimate diversification play for two petrostates realizing their legacy assets might one day be as trendy as a fax machine. The real test will be whether this 'Pax' can survive the next market downturn or geopolitical spat. For now, the sand is shifting—and it's full of silicon.

Shifting from oil to technology

It’s a big deal that these Middle Eastern nations are coming on board, given how much political division the region has seen over the years. What the U.S. is really doing here is trying to get Israel and the Arab Gulf states working together on technology and economic matters.

Qatar’s signing the agreement on Jan. 12. The UAE will follow three days later on Jan. 15. The group’s already got Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Britain, and Australia as members.

Pax Silica, sometimes called the Silicon Declaration, covers pretty much the whole technology supply network. That means everything from raw materials to sophisticated manufacturing, computer systems, and data storage. For the Trump administration, this is a key piece of their economic strategy, as they want to depend less on rival countries and build up cooperation with friendly ones.

Helberg explained, “The Silicon Declaration isn’t just a diplomatic communiqué. It’s meant to be an operational document for a new economic security consensus.”

This isn’t your typical alliance, according to Helberg. Pax Silica works as a “coalition of capabilities.” Countries join based on their industries’ capabilities and the companies they possess.

Helberg hopes the program will help the Middle East MOVE faster toward a different kind of economy. The region has relied on oil and gas money for a long time, but this could push things more toward technology.

“For the UAE and Qatar, this marks a shift from a hydrocarbon-centric security architecture to one focused on silicon statecraft,” he said.

All this is happening while Saudi Arabia gets ready to host The Future Minerals Forum. It’s a government-run conference about minerals and supply networks that’ll bring together senior officials, business leaders, and investors in Riyadh from January 13–15.

Future plans and strategic projects

Helberg laid out what the group wants to do this year. They’ll be working on getting more members, putting together strategic projects for supply chain security, and getting their policies lined up to protect critical infrastructure and technology.

The group met in Washington last month. Helberg said he’s expecting a few more meetings this year.

There are ongoing talks about projects that could modernize trade and transportation routes. The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor is one example. It WOULD utilize advanced American technology to boost regional connections and grow the U.S. economic presence.

U.S. and Israeli officials are preparing to roll out a new Pax Silica Strategic Framework. It includes plans for “Fort Foundry One,” an industrial park in Israel designed to fast-track development, and talks on AI cooperation, with a possible memorandum of understanding as soon as January 16.

That marks a shift from the Biden administration’s earlier Mineral Security Partnership, which Helberg described as more of a “buyers’ club” dominated by wealthy economies like Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Six of the eight countries that participated—Australia, Britain, Japan, Israel, Singapore, and South Korea—signed the summit declaration. There’s language in there about “non-market practices,” which is what Washington usually says when they’re criticizing Beijing.

Japan and the United States signed their own separate agreement about how they’ll handle economic security together. Helberg mentioned that Pax Silica actually came out of talks between the two countries.

Each country that’s participating brings something specific to the table, Berry noted. Japan’s got advanced machinery. The Netherlands has lithography machines that etch circuits on computer chips.

There are some countries that aren’t included, which raises eyebrows. India didn’t get invited even though they’ve got artificial intelligence ambitions, and they’re becoming more important to global technology supply chains and U.S. strategy. Vietnam and New Zealand got left out, too.

Berry thought it was surprising that New Zealand wasn’t included, especially since they’re part of Five Eyes intelligence sharing. Though he said it makes more sense when you look at it from a technology and trade angle. Vietnam not being there was more confusing to him. A lot of companies trying to move production out of China have picked Vietnam. Maybe they’re holding Vietnam back as something to use for negotiating later.

“My sense with respect to Vietnam and India is that there’s perhaps a larger game being played … to try and counterbalance China’s growth,” Berry said.

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