Italy has decided to join Pax Silica, a US State Department-led initiative aimed at protecting supply chains related to artificial intelligence. The move was confirmed by a senior official at the Italian foreign ministry.
Details and letter of intent
Armando Varricchio, Italy’s special envoy for innovation, told Corriere della Sera that Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and his US counterpart Marco Rubio will sign a bilateral letter of intent as soon as possible. According to Varricchio, the agreement will provide a political basis to express the parties’ intent to resume cooperation that had been temporarily interrupted.
Scope of Pax Silica
Pax Silica seeks to unite allied countries to safeguard AI-related supply chains. The programme covers a broad range of areas, from the energy sector and critical raw materials to high-tech manufacturing and the development of AI models.
International context
The European Commission joined the initiative on Thursday, and the Netherlands announced its accession earlier in the week. Varricchio attended a Washington summit as an observer, where he and representatives from the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, India and South Korea signed a joint statement on harnessing opportunities in artificial intelligence.
Political tension in the background
Rome had planned to join the coalition officially on Monday in Miami, but Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled the trip after a public clash between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump at the G7 meeting. The dispute was triggered by Trump’s criticism that Italy had not provided sufficient support in the Iranian conflict.
Source
This article is based on a Reuters report.
