Archive · 24 Dec 2025
Pax Silica: The New Strategic Order
Pax Silica is a new way of thinking about technology and global politics.
It's about countries seeing digital infrastructure, like semiconductors and AI, as very important for their security.
This is different from the past when people thought that open markets and efficiency were the most important things.
Now, countries want to control these technologies to make sure they are safe and reliable, even if it costs more.
This change is happening because AI is used in many important areas, like defense and health, and because recent events, like the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have shown how vulnerable global supply chains can be.
Countries are now making rules and spending money to make sure they have control over these technologies.
This could make the world more unequal if not managed properly, but it also gives countries a chance to shape the future of technology.
Pax Silica is a strategic situation where digital infrastructure and supply chains are seen as critical for national security.
Driven by the importance of AI, global shocks, and technology as a battleground for global politics.
Semiconductor production is concentrated in a few regions, making them strategically important.
AI governance has shifted from ethical to strategic talks, focusing on who gets access to technology.
Pax Silica could lead to a more fragmented or a stronger, more balanced world, depending on how it is managed.
- Who
- Industrialized economies and big countries.
- What
- A strategic situation where digital infrastructure and supply chains are seen as critical for national security.
- When
- The change is ongoing, driven by recent global shocks and technological advancements.
- Where
- Globally, with a focus on regions controlling semiconductor production and AI infrastructure.
- Why
- To ensure national security and economic resilience by controlling critical digital infrastructure and supply chains.
- Pax Silica
- A strategic situation where digital infrastructure and supply chains are seen as critical for national security.
- Key Drivers
- AI as a general-purpose technology, global shocks, and technology as a battleground for global politics.
- Semiconductor Concentration
- Production is concentrated in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the United States, and parts of Europe.
- AI Dependencies
- Large datasets, high-end computing infrastructure, and specialized chips.
- Impact on Global Politics
- AI and supply chain security are now central to statecraft.
- Potential Outcomes
- Could lead to a more fragmented or a stronger, more balanced world.
- Author
- Anusreeta Dutta, columnist and climate researcher.