PH, Israel deepen cooperation on critical minerals and AI

The Philippines and Israel are moving to strengthen strategic cooperation in critical minerals processing and artificial intelligence development, following high-level discussions between the Department of Trade and Industry (Department of Trade and Industry (Philippines)) and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

DTI Board of Investments (BOI) Managing Head Undersecretary Dr. Ceferino S. Rodolfo met with Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Eden Bar Tal to explore expanded collaboration in critical minerals value chains and AI-driven industrial development, aligned with the US-led Pax Silica initiative and emerging global critical minerals frameworks.

The engagement comes shortly after the Philippines’ accession to the Pax Silica alliance and its recent partnership with the United States to establish a 4,000-acre AI-native industrial acceleration hub in Luzon, positioning the country as an emerging node in the global advanced manufacturing and AI ecosystem.

Critical minerals—such as nickel, copper, and cobalt—are essential components in semiconductor production, powering microchips, advanced processors, and AI hardware systems. Bar Tal, who chairs Israel’s governmental steering committee on critical minerals strategy, underscored the strategic importance of securing resilient and diversified supply chains for future technologies.

Both sides discussed potential cooperation on mineral processing and refining technologies, where Israel’s strengths in advanced mining solutions, water technologies, and environmental innovation could complement the Philippines’ rich mineral endowment and expanding semiconductor manufacturing base.

The discussions also explored a possible bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) covering critical minerals cooperation, research and development, and AI ecosystem integration—highlighting the strong complementarity between Philippine raw material resources and skilled workforce, and Israel’s deep-tech innovation capabilities.

Further cooperation was also linked to leveraging the Philippines’ growing semiconductor and microchip manufacturing sector to support AI development, reinforcing its positioning in higher-value segments of the global technology supply chain.

Undersecretary Rodolfo is currently in the region to participate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) Critical Minerals Forum and to engage with other Pax Silica partner economies.

While in Israel, he is also scheduled to meet officials from the Ministry of Economy and Industry, the Israel National AI Directorate, and the Israel Innovation Authority, along with key stakeholders in the country’s high-tech and trade sectors.