Norway enters a new geopolitical alliance
In May 2026, Norway formally acceded to the Pax Silica declaration – a strategic coalition led by the US with the goal of countering China's dominant position in critical minerals, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. This was reported by Scandasia, which covered Norway's membership.
The alliance now includes, among others, the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Israel, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, and Qatar. India is scheduled to be the next country to join. The EU, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates have participated as guest observers.
«This is an industrial policy for an economic security alliance – and it is a game changer, because there is no other grouping today where we can talk about the AI economy and the competition with China.» — Jacob Helberg, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
What is Pax Silica?
Pax Silica was established as a direct response to what the US and its allies consider a critical vulnerability: China's grip on the supply chains for technologies crucial to artificial intelligence.
According to available research data, China extracted approximately 270,000 metric tons of rare earth oxides in 2024 – and the country controls an estimated 85–95 percent of the global capacity for processing and refining these materials. Without access to these resources, the production of AI chips and semiconductors in Western countries will face serious obstacles.
A response to China's Belt and Road
Pax Silica is designed as a structured framework for joint research and development, production partnerships, and infrastructure projects. An explicit goal is to offer an alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has mobilized over 1,300 billion dollars in investments across 150 countries since 2013.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary Jacob Helberg has been a central architect behind Pax Silica. He has stated that the coalition aims to do for the AI age what the G7 did for the industrial age – and that it is currently a two-horse race between the US and China.
What does this mean for Norway?
Norway's accession to Pax Silica is not without strategic weight. Norway has significant mineral resources – including deposits of rare earth elements – and is already an established supplier of energy and raw materials to European industry. Membership can open doors to joint investments, technology transfer, and access to Western AI supply chains.
At the same time, it implies a clear geopolitical positioning towards China, which is among Norway's trading partners. The details surrounding Norway's specific commitments have not yet been publicly disclosed in available source material, and it is therefore too early to say exactly what legal or economic ties are involved.
Military AI – a parallel front
Pax Silica is not the only arena where the US is strengthening its AI alliances. The US Department of Defense (DoD) has simultaneously entered into agreements with eight technology companies – including Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, Oracle, and SpaceX – to integrate advanced AI into military operations.
DoD's Chief Digital and AI Officer, Dr. Douglas Matty, has stated that «the AI era in defense is not coming – it is here,» emphasizing that the question is no longer if the technology will be used, but how quickly and responsibly it will happen.
This military track is separate from Pax Silica but illustrates the breadth of the American strategy: to secure AI leadership along both civilian and military axes.
Critical perspective
It is worth noting that the source material for this news is limited. The Scandasia article provides little concrete information about what Norway's membership actually entails in practice, and the research basis is primarily derived from US government's own presentations of Pax Silica. Independent analyses of the alliance's real effect are limited. Claims about geopolitical influence and competition with China should be read with this caveat.