Technological competition has become one of the defining dimensions of great power rivalry in the twenty-first century. While geopolitical advantage in previous eras was largely measured through military capabilities, natural resources, and industrial capacity, control over advanced technologies, digital infrastructures, and technological value chains has increasingly become a central indicator of national power.
The Great Power Technology Competition Program examines how technology has emerged as a strategic arena of competition among the leading actors of the international system. The program focuses on the intersection of technology, national security, foreign policy, and global political economy, analyzing how states leverage technological capabilities to expand influence and preserve competitive advantages.
A central theme of this research area is the changing relationship between economics and security. In recent years, technologies such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, communication networks, and digital infrastructures have moved beyond the domains of trade and innovation and have become closely connected to national security and geopolitical competition. Policies such as export controls, investment restrictions, technology alliances, and efforts to restructure supply chains demonstrate the growing integration of technology policy with the strategic agendas of major powers.
The program also examines the role of diverse actors shaping this competition, including governments, security institutions, technology companies, research organizations, and innovation networks. In the emerging technological order, leading firms in sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and digital communications are no longer merely economic actors; they have become influential participants in global power dynamics.
This program seeks to understand how technological rivalry is reshaping interactions among major powers and whether the future will be defined by competing technological ecosystems, fragmented standards, and separate digital spheres of influence.