THE Philippines and Israel will collaborate on critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI) development under the Pax Silica initiative, the Board of Investments said on Sunday.
Pax Silica is an initiative of the United States that aims to build AI-native industrial hubs among its allies, covering silicon, chips and advanced technology manufacturing. The coalition includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and the Philippines.
On Friday, Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo went to Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Eden Bar Tal.
Tal chairs the steering committee for Israel’s national strategy on critical minerals.
Rodolfo and Bar Tal discussed how Israel’s advanced mining, water and environmental technologies can help strengthen the Philippines’ processing and refining of key minerals such as nickel, copper and cobalt, helping the country move up the value chain and build higher-value industries and products.
“Our strategic goal has been to add more value to our green metal exports,” Rodolfo said.
“For example, nickel (which also comes with cobalt) and copper (which comes with gold) are historically exported in largely unprocessed form. These are called green metals for two reasons: the manner by which they are extracted and processed conforms with global sustainability standards, and they play a crucial role in enabling the shift to new energy solutions (batteries for energy storage systems and electric vehicles),” Rodolfo explained.
“What access to the latest AI technology does for the Philippines, especially to technology, which are relevant for the manufacture of components of computer hardware infrastructure, is an opportunity to elevate or to add another layer to our ambition for green metals,” he added.
Also discussed was a possible agreement on critical minerals cooperation, including mineral processing, research and development, and ways to leverage the Philippines’ semiconductor and microchip manufacturing sector to support AI development, to complement Philippine mineral resources and skilled workforce and Israeli technology and innovation.
“Israel is a recognized global leader in water system management for industrial tech applications and innovations in AI computer hardware manufacturing,” Rodolfo said.
He will likewise meet with officials from Israel’s Trade Ministry, the Israel National AI Directorate, the Israel Innovation Authority, and partners in Israel’s trade and high-tech sectors, the BOI said.
Rodolfo will also attend an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) critical minerals forum and visit other countries in the Pax Silica alliance.
