On June 26, 2026, at the second Pax Silica Summit held in Washington, D.C., Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Jaslan Madiev, signed a declaration of his country’s participation in the Pax Silica initiative and a joint statement on the Artificial Intelligence Opportunity Partnership. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Jacob Helberg, welcomed the partnership, highlighting Kazakhstan’s rich reserves of critical minerals and its strategic location on the Middle Corridor.[i] This development demonstrates the U.S.’s commitment to developing strategic partnerships and cooperation with Kazakhstan and its confidence in the country. Therefore, expectations regarding this partnership are quite high and positive.
Kazakhstan’s participation in Pax Silica can be seen as a reflection of the country’s multi-vector foreign policy. Furthermore, it is considered to mark a new dimension in Kazakhstan-US relations centered on technology and artificial intelligence. Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian member of this initiative. This demonstrates that the country is now prominent not only in terms of regional integration and security policies, but also in terms of critical minerals, secure supply chains, and the artificial intelligence ecosystem. In this context, Kazakhstan’s participation in Pax Silica makes it important to consider the increasing geopolitical and economic security dimensions of minerals in the age of artificial intelligence, the technological aspect of the country’s multi-vector foreign policy, and the changing US-Central Asia equation.
Today, the importance of digitalization, clean energy, and artificial intelligence is steadily increasing. The development of these fields requires critical minerals, and the demand for critical minerals for clean energy technologies is expected to increase 3.4 times from today’s level by 2040.[ii] Therefore, not only the production but also the sustainability of critical minerals is crucial for digital transformation, economic security, and geopolitical stability. As Helberg points out, while economic and geopolitical competition in the 20th century was largely based on oil and steel, in the 21st century these elements are being replaced by artificial intelligence and the critical minerals that fuel them.[iii] In this context, the Pax Silica initiative stands out as an initiative aims to bring together technology production, secure supply chains, and reliable partnership networks. Kazakhstan’s participation in this initiative will help enhance its position in the international arena, thanks to its geostrategic location and critical mineral resources.
In this context, it is no coincidence that Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country to join Pax Silica. Indeed, the country possesses large reserves of critical minerals and energy capacity, and is considered a strategic partner in the field of artificial intelligence supply chains. Kazakhstan’s critical minerals include rare earth elements, lithium, copper, and tantalum, and the country aims not only to be a raw material producer but also to process these resources to create added value. Furthermore, Kazakhstan has been the world’s largest uranium producer since 2009 and accounted for approximately 40% of global uranium production in 2025.[iv] In this regard, Kazakhstan possesses the energy infrastructure needed for artificial intelligence data centers and semiconductor manufacturing. Kazakhstan’s role in Pax Silica is not limited to its critical mineral capacity. This participation will also contribute to the transformation of these critical resources into high-tech production, supply chains, and value-added industries.
With the second Pax Silica summit, the initiative has evolved from a declaration into a platform increasingly focused on economic security and “digital sovereignty,” further strengthening Kazakhstan’s role. The central role of technology and AI supply chains in US foreign policy is also taking US-Central Asia relations to a new dimension. Both countries are no longer limited to cooperation in the economic and security spheres; they are now engaged in a multilateral partnership centered on AI, critical minerals, and secure supply chains. Furthermore, the US plans to support Kazakhstan in expanding mineral security opportunities in Central Asia and to provide 250 million dollars in foreign aid funding under the Pax Silica Fund.[v]
In this regard, Pax Silica is not merely a symbolic collaboration, but is progressing through concrete projects and support, and Kazakhstan stands out as a priority partner in the region in terms of technology and critical minerals. This partnership can contribute to increasing Kazakhstan’s capacity to attract investment, strengthening its digital infrastructure, and creating a more predictable and reliable investment environment for international investors. It would be insufficient to consider this development solely as a national transformation. With this step, Kazakhstan will also make a significant contribution to the economic security of Central Asia.
Kazakhstan’s integration into the AI supply chain within the framework of Pax Silica will significantly expand the country’s strategic flexibility and contribute to its transformation into a reliable technology hub for international investors. Pax Silica is not limited to investment opportunities for Kazakhstan; this initiative also supports the country’s strategy of diversifying its economic partners. Kazakhstan is involved in both Western and Asian economic and digital transformation projects. In this context, the strategy of diversifying economic partners has the potential to reshape the country’s international economic position.
In the long term, the success of Pax Silica does not depend solely on the US-Kazakhstan relationship or Kazakhstan’s critical mineral reserves. Rather, it will depend on the extent to which the initiative’s goals translate into concrete investment projects and the sustainability of the partnership. If the planned projects and funding are realized, Kazakhstan’s potential to become a “leading hub” for critical minerals and supply chains will increase. At the same time, Kazakhstan’s contribution to this partnership will directly depend on its ability to balance its multi-vector foreign policy and develop its value-added production capacity.
In conclusion, the Pax Silica initiative is considered a promising opportunity both nationally and regionally. Kazakhstan has a high capacity to transform its critical mineral dominance into tangible projects and value-added industrial production. If the initiative succeeds, Kazakhstan will become a more visible actor not only at the regional level but also in global economic and AI supply chains.
[i] “Kazakhstan Joins Us-Led Pax Silica Initiative to Advance AI economy”, The Astana Times, https://astanatimes.com/2026/06/kazakhstan-joins-us-led-pax-silica-initiative-to-advance-ai-economy/, (Date Accessed: 30.06.2026).
[ii] “Critical minerals: Why innovation begins beneath the Earth’s surface”, World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/critical-minerals-innovation-earth-surface/, (Date Accessed: 30.06.2026).
[iii] “Pax Silica”, U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/pax-silica, (Date Accessed: 30.06.2026).
[iv] Askar Alimzhanov, “Kazakhstan’s Pax Silica Accession Bodes Well for Foreign Investment”, The Times of Central Asia, https://timesca.com/kazakhstans-pax-silica-accession-bodes-well-for-foreign-investment/, (Date Accessed: 30.06.2026).
[v] “State Department Expands Pax Silica Initiative at 2026 Summit”, Brownstein, https://www.bhfs.com/insight/state-department-expands-pax-silica-initiative-at-2026-summit/, (Date Accessed: 01.07.2026).
