Quad Announces $85 Million In AI Assistance For Indo-Pacific, US Pledges $10 Million For Critical Minerals Recycling

India, the United States, Japan and Australia have announced more than $85 million in assistance for trusted artificial intelligence (AI) across the Indo-Pacific, while Washington has pledged $10 million for critical-mineral recycling facilities in India and Southeast Asia. The announcements followed the third Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the year, held in Atlanta on October 31, where the four countries discussed technology, economic security, maritime cooperation and resilient supply chains.

The meeting brought together External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

The AI assistance is aimed at expanding access to trusted technology across the region, including through the Quad AI Accelerator. The ministers also agreed to identify vulnerabilities in semiconductor and AI hardware supply chains and strengthen cooperation on 5G, 6G and Open RAN networks.

The separate US commitment of $10 million will support facilities in India and ASEAN countries to recover critical minerals from electronic waste and scrap. The countries also discussed strengthening recycling value chains and facilitating the cross-border movement of recyclable materials.

Jaishankar called for deeper Quad cooperation on supply-chain resilience, technology, critical minerals and energy security, warning against non-market practices and growing economic pressures. He said the grouping must work to maintain regional stability, prosperity and freedom of choice, while advancing practical cooperation on counterterrorism, maritime security and capacity building.

The joint statement expressed concern over economic coercion, arbitrary export restrictions and non-market practices that disrupt supply chains, without naming any country. Rubio said the Quad was not an anti-China or anti-anybody coalition, stressing that it opposed certain behaviours rather than countries. He added that the activities being criticised repeatedly originated from one country, without naming it.

The ministers also announced the first Quad Business Leaders’ Forum and discussed energy security, strategic petroleum reserves and efforts to dismantle cyber-scam networks and transnational criminal groups. Their maritime agenda included protecting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in accordance with international law. They highlighted the second Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer mission, which involved an Indian Coast Guard vessel travelling from Chennai to Perth.

The grouping also discussed humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, port modernisation in Fiji and infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific, including more than 2,000 infrastructure fellowships for the region.

During his Atlanta visit, Jaishankar unveiled a bust of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Indian Consulate on October 31, marking Patel’s birth anniversary and Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

Meanwhile, a Quad leaders’ meeting is being prepared for Manila in November alongside regional summits. Trump may attend, which would make it his first formal Quad leaders’ summit. Rubio said an announcement was expected soon, but the meeting had not yet been formally confirmed.