Monthly Brief
January 2026
US and UAE Launch Pax Silica Partnership to Secure AI, Supply Chains and Economic Growth
The US and the UAE launched Pax Silica, a first-of-its-kind economic security coalition built for the AI age. The framework brings together trusted partners to treat compute, silicon, minerals and energy as shared strategic assets, strengthening supply chain resilience and long-term competitiveness. Additional developments—including a new IHC–US Development Finance Corporation framework and the launch of L’imad Holding, Abu Dhabi’s fourth sovereign investment pillar—underscore how UAE-US cooperation is mobilizing capital and advancing secure technology ecosystems.
1 big thing: UAE-US Pax Silica Partnership Takes Shape
With the UAE joining Pax Silica, the United States and its partners are formalizing a new model of economic cooperation designed for the AI era. The declaration was signed by US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg and UAE Minister of State Saeed Bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, affirming a shared commitment to building secure, trusted technology ecosystems.
Pax Silica is the first international coalition to organize around compute, silicon, minerals and energy as strategic assets, reflecting a shift in how nations approach economic integration and technological leadership. Through the partnership, the US and UAE will pursue multilayered collaboration across the global technology stack, including 6G connectivity, data centers and compute, advanced manufacturing, logistics, mineral refining and processing and energy infrastructure. The UAE’s leadership in energy, investment and AI innovation positions it as a central partner in advancing this framework.
Why it matters
- Reinforces US leadership in shaping trusted AI and technology ecosystems alongside close allies
- Strengthens supply chain security by addressing coercive dependencies and single points of failure across critical technologies
- Reflects a shared strategic vision where AI and advanced infrastructure serve as foundations for economic resilience, diversification and long-term cooperation.
Additional stories shaping the UAE–US economic partnership:
Abu Dhabi–based IHC and the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) signed a strategic framework to mobilize private capital across sectors critical to economic security and growth.
The partnership will focus on investments in energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, logistics, data centers, healthcare and advanced agriculture, spanning emerging and frontier markets. By aligning IHC’s global investment platform with DFC’s mandate as the US government’s development finance arm, the framework aims to accelerate high-impact projects at scale.
Abu Dhabi launched L’imad Holding as its fourth major sovereign investment platform, alongside ADIA, Mubadala and ADQ, to further diversify the emirate’s economy and expand global investment activity.
The new entity is mandated to deploy capital across infrastructure, advanced industry, technology, financial services and smart cities, both domestically and internationally. L’imad has already completed multibillion-dollar transactions and is expected to play a growing role in channeling investment into strategic growth sectors.
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