The U.S. State Department on Thursday announced up to $200 million in funding to companies or organizations working to make secure, high-quality and affordable handheld smartphone devices more accessible to the Indo-Pacific region.
The foreign aid announced by the United States is called the “Edge AI Package.”
The U.S. State Department said Thursday it is “proud to announce the launch of a competitive process to award up to $200 million in foreign assistance funding to support programs to accelerate the deployment of secure, high-quality, and affordable handheld smartphone devices in the Indo-Pacific region.”
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Under the plan, the department is calling for proposals that seek to improve “the competitiveness of the Indo-Pacific’s next generation of smartphones running trusted operating systems (Android/iOS), ensuring that the region’s next billion internet users are integrated into an open, interoperable and innovative software ecosystem.”
This initiative by the U.S. Department of State is launched in conjunction with the promotion of Pax Silica, the U.S. Department of State’s flagship program in artificial intelligence and supply chain security to promote a new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners.
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The “Edge AI Package” program is said to accelerate Pax Silica’s vision to “create a prosperous, connected Indo-Pacific region by providing millions of people with the development tools for artificial intelligence innovation and entrepreneurship.”
It added that the program would help provide more choices so countries don’t feel forced to buy from high-risk vendors and “offset price distortions from untrusted vendors while promoting trustworthy AI software stacks,” which is critical to U.S. efforts to ensure “our partners’ digital infrastructure remains secure, autonomous, and free from coercion.”
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How to apply?
In order to apply for the Edge AI Package, interested companies or organizations must email EdgeAI@state.gov and request more information about the program and technical requirements.
The submission window will be open for 90 days and funding will be subject to funding and U.S. Congressional approval, it said.
India joins Pax Silica
The new initiative by the US Department of the Interior comes as India prepares to join Pax Silica on Friday. Pax Silica is a flagship U.S. program aimed at establishing secure global supply chains for semiconductor and artificial intelligence technologies.
Shortly after arriving in New Delhi in January this year, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore announced his invitation to India to join Pax Silica.
