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US announces ‘EdgeAI package’ of $200 million for ‘secure, affordable’ smartphones in Indo-Pacific
The submission window for the package will remain open for 90 days and funding will be subject to availability of money and approval from the US Congress.
The United States Department of State on Thursday announced a funding of as much as $200 million to companies or organisations working towards making secure, high-quality, and affordable handheld smartphone devices more accessible across the Indo-Pacific region.
The foreign assistance announced by the United States is called the ‘Edge AI Package’.
The US Department of State said on Thursday that it is “proud to announce the launch of a competitive process to award up to $200 million in foreign assistance funding to support programmes to accelerate the deployment of secure, high-quality, and affordable handheld smartphone devices across the Indo-Pacific region.”
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Under this programme, the department has called for proposals that seek to improve the “competitiveness of next-generation smartphones in the Indo-Pacific region running on trusted operating systems (Android/iOS), ensuring that the next billion internet users there are integrated into an open, interoperable, and innovation-forward software ecosystem.”
This initiative by the US department of state comes amid its push for Pax Silica, which is the department’s flagship effort on AI and supply chain security, advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners.
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It said ‘Edge AI Package’ initiative accelerates the vision of Pax Silica of “a flourishing, interconnected Indo-Pacific by empowering millions with developer tools of AI innovation and entrepreneurship.”
It added that the programme will help offer more options so countries don’t feel forced to buy from high-risk suppliers and “offsetting the price distortions of untrusted providers while promoting a trusted AI software stack”, which is a crucial amid US’ efforts to ensure that “the digital infrastructure of our partners remains secure, autonomous, and free from coercion.”
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How to apply?
In order to apply for the ‘Edge AI Package’, the interested firms or organisations have to email to EdgeAI@state.gov and request more information and technical requirements about the programme.
The submission window, it said, will remain open for 90 days and funding will be subject to availability of money and approval from the US Congress.
India to join Pax Silica
This new initiative by the US department of home comes as India is poised to join the Pax Silica on Friday. Pax Silica is a flagship US initiative to build secure global supply chains for semiconductors and AI technology.
Soon after the US ambassador to India Sergio Gor arrived in New Delhi in January this year, he had announced that India would be invited to join Pax Silica.
