We are excited to open applications for our new online course The Geopolitics of Digital Infrastructure, that will run from October to December 2026. The course offers a live, eight-week introduction to digital infrastructure, the backbone of today’s international economy.
After an opening session that maps the field, the course zooms in on specific types of digital infrastructure, including cloud computing, semiconductors, subsea cables, and space infrastructure, before zooming out during the final sessions to reflect on questions of ownership and governance. Participants will explore how digital infrastructure is used to project power and protect strategic interests, why governance remains heavily fragmented across national, regional, and multilateral levels, and how ownership is split between public authorities and a handful of increasingly powerful corporate actors.
This selective course is taught by leading scholars from Europe and North America, including Roxana Radu (Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford), Valentin Weber (German Council on Foreign Relations), Christian Bueger (University of Copenhagen), Julia Carver (Leiden University), Dorthea Gradek (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, NUPI), Melissa K. Griffith (Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies), Francesca Musiani (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Tobias Liebetrau (University of Copenhagen), and Hannah-Sophie Weber (Virtual Routes/University of Oxfords). Each two-hour live session combines lectures with moderated discussions, with half of each session dedicated to dialogue.
Course Overview
This course links two goals. First, to better understand the technologies at stake and the use cases they enable. Second, to work through their geopolitical dimensions.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the main types of digital infrastructure and the specific technologies involved.
- Identify chokepoints where technical architecture translates into political leverage.
- Analyse tensions between (digital) sovereignty and multi-stakeholder cooperation.
- Evaluate national, EU, and UN policy responses to asymmetrical interdependencies.
Our aim is to provide students with a deeper understanding of digital infrastructure and the geopolitical challenges shaping its governance.
The Geopolitics of Digital Infrastructure course is selective and open to a limited number of students. The course costs €299 for accepted participants, with free enrolment for students currently enrolled at a Dutch university through support from Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars Program. Applications close on Sunday, 27 September 2026. Read more and apply here.
