The Department said the initiative will provide foreign assistance to accelerate the availability of high-quality handheld devices operating on trusted systems such as Android and iOS.
The objective is to ensure that the next wave of internet users in the Indo-Pacific region joins what it described as an “open, interoperable and innovation-driven software ecosystem”.The programme seeks proposals that enhance the competitiveness of next-generation smartphones powered by trusted operating systems. The move is positioned as part of broader US efforts to strengthen secure digital infrastructure among partner nations, the US State Department said in a statement.
Strategic focus and pax silica vision
The Department framed the initiative within the broader “Pax Silica” strategy, the US State Department’s Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs said in a press note.
Read more: India to join US-led ‘Pax Silica’ alliance today
The programme is intended to accelerate a “flourishing, interconnected Indo-Pacific” by enabling access to AI-driven developer tools and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Pax Silica is a US-led initiative launched in December 2025 to secure the global AI and semiconductor supply chain and reduce reliance on non-aligned nations. The alliance reportedly includes the US, Japan and South Korea, with India to join on Friday, February 20.
The department said that the Edge AI Package initiative is also designed to provide a market-based alternative to what it termed “high-risk vendors”, countering price distortions created by untrusted suppliers while promoting a trusted AI software stack, as per the department.
It described the effort as critical to ensuring that partner nations’ digital systems remain “secure, autonomous, and free from coercion”.
Proposals invited for the Edge AI Package
The Department has invited Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to submit individual or joint proposals for distributing low-cost, AI-ready smartphones in designated Indo-Pacific countries.
Proposals must outline how US funding would help achieve price competitiveness with existing market players and demonstrate supply chain transparency.
Read more: Trump accuses Obama of intel risk, orders Pentagon to release UFO files
Interested parties should email EdgeAI@state.gov to request additional information and technical requirements. The submission window will remain open for 90 days. Provision of funding is contingent on the availability of funds and Congressional notification, the US State Department said.
