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2026/2027  KAN-CDIBV2604U  Digital Sovereignty, AI & Resilient Infrastructures

English Title
Digital Sovereignty, AI & Resilient Infrastructures

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn, Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Min. participants 50
Max. participants 80
Study board
Study Board for Digitalisation, Technology and Communication
Programme Master of Science (MSc) in Business Administration and Digital Business
Course coordinator
  • Jan Damsgaard - Department of Digitalisation (DIGI)
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalisation and international business
  • Information technology
  • International political economy
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 11-03-2026

Relevant links
Learning objectives
After completing the course, students should be able to:
  • Define and critically discuss digital sovereignty, AI sovereignty, and critical infrastructure resilience in global and European contexts.
  • Apply interdependence and network power theory to analyze global digital dependencies and chokepoints.
  • Formulate actionable recommendations for building resilient and competitive digital ecosystems balancing autonomy, cooperation, and innovation.
  • Evaluate industrial and defense innovation strategies that contribute to technological resilience and sovereignty.
Course prerequisites
Enrollment in a CBS graduate program (e.g., MSc in Digital Business, EBA, or equivalent).
Familiarity with digital transformation and policy analysis is beneficial but not required.
Examination
Digital Sovereignty, AI & Resilient Infrastructures:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Active participation

The completion of this course is based on active student participation in class. The course will be considered as passed if the students participation - based on an overall assessment - in the class activities fulfill the learning objectives of the course. The individual student’s participation is assessed by the teacher.
The student must participate in Presentation(s), A combination of assignment and presentation, Assignment(s)
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Grading scale Pass / Fail
Examiner(s) Assessed solely by the teacher
Exam period Winter and Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam Oral exam based on written product
In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Size of written product: Max. 15 pages
Examiner(s): If it is an internal examination, there will be a second internal examiner at the re-exam. If it is an external examination, there will be an external examiner.
Description of activities
Presentation(s): Presentation
At least one group (of four or five students) presentation analyzing a case or presenting an article (e.g., digital infrastructure, AI, miltech, or sovereignty).

Active and constructive participation in lectures, peer discussions, and practitioner Q&A sessions.

Final Group Simulation / Policy Exercise:
Participation in the final simulation exercise (Lecture 8), developing a strategic plan for European digital sovereignty in 2035.
A combination of assignment and presentation: Short written or oral reflections and multiple-choice mini-tests after each session (to check comprehension and critical insight). Six out of 8 must be approved.
Assignment(s): In groups of four or five, students must be prepare a company sovereignty analysis and strategy formulation. The report is maximum 15 pages.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

This course examines how digital interdependence and technological concentration shape Europe’s sovereignty, competitiveness, and resilience.
It integrates perspectives from digital economics, AI governance, industrial policy, and security studies to understand how global infrastructures—such as cloud, data, and AI—affect national and corporate autonomy.

 

Building on key theoretical frameworks—Keohane & Nye’s (1998) complex interdependence and Farrell & Newman’s (2019) weaponized interdependence—students explore how dependencies within global networks can be sources of both vulnerability and strategic power.

 

The course develops an applied understanding of how Europe can respond to asymmetric dependencies through AI investment, industrial strategy, and digital infrastructure innovation, as recommended in the Draghi Report (2024).

 

 

The course emphasizes interactive and applied learning through:

  • Real-world case studies,
  • Practitioner insights from industry and government,
  • Student-led presentations and peer exchange,
  • Structured reflection and simulation exercises.

 

Content:

The course addresses digital sovereignty as both a strategic and managerial challenge arising from deep global interdependence in digital infrastructures, platforms, and AI ecosystems. Drawing on theories of complex interdependence, weaponized interdependence, and soft and hard power, the course examines how digital dependencies can be transformed into sources of vulnerability, leverage, or resilience.

A central analytical lens is the concept of tech stacks—the layered combination of hardware, software, data, platforms, and governance mechanisms that underpin modern organisations and societies. Students learn how sovereignty challenges emerge not at a single technological layer, but across interconnected stacks involving cloud infrastructure, data architectures, AI models, supply chains, and standards. The course shows how control over specific layers can generate power asymmetries, chokepoints, and strategic exposure.

The course integrates dynamic capabilities theory to explain how organisations and governments can actively manage digital sovereignty over time. Rather than treating sovereignty as static independence, the course emphasises managerial capabilities to sense dependencies, seize strategic options, and reconfigure digital architectures in response to technological, regulatory, and geopolitical change. This perspective highlights sovereignty as an ongoing strategic process rather than a one-off technical decision.

Throughout the course, students work with practical managerial guidelines for managing digital sovereignty in organisations and public institutions. These include:

  • Designing modular and substitutable tech stacks

  • Managing vendor lock-in and exit options

  • Balancing global platforms with local and European alternatives

  • Governing data, AI models, and infrastructure across organisational boundaries

  • Aligning digital strategy with regulatory, security, and resilience requirements

Teaching is structured around a combination of lectures, student case presentations, and practitioner contributions, ensuring close integration between theory and real-world decision-making. Practitioner sessions provide insight into how digital sovereignty challenges are addressed in practice within firms, public authorities, and critical infrastructure providers.

Learning is supported through structured reflection exercises and short learning tests, encouraging students to continuously integrate conceptual frameworks with empirical cases. The pedagogical approach emphasises analytical reasoning, strategic judgement, and applied problem-solving, preparing students to manage digital sovereignty challenges in both private and public sector contexts.

 
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • New theory
  • Teacher’s own research
Research-like activities
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
Description of the teaching methods
The course comprises 8 sessions, each lasting 3 hours, combining theoretical lectures, student-led case presentations, and practitioner input.
Each session follows this structure:
• Recap & Lecture (60 minutes)
• Student Presentation (45 minutes)
• Practitioner Session (60 minutes)
• Reflection & Learning Test (10 minutes)

Teaching methods include lectures, case analysis, practitioner engagement, simulations, and in-class reflection tests.
Feedback during the teaching period
• Students receive continuous formative feedback on presentations, reflections, and participation.

• Peer feedback is integrated during group exercises.

• Instructor feedback focuses on conceptual understanding, analytical reasoning, and clarity of communication.
Student workload
Lectures and in-class participation 24 hours
Workshops 6 hours
Reading and preparation 116 hours
Case preparation and presentation 30 hours
Reflection and short tests 10 hours
Final group simulation 20 hours
Total 206 hours
Expected literature

Theoretical Foundations

  • Keohane, R. & Nye, J. (1998). Power and Interdependence in the Information Age. Foreign Affairs, 77(5), 81-94.
  • Farrell, H. & Newman, A. (2019). Weaponized Interdependence: How Global Economic Networks Shape State Coercion. International Security, 44(1), 42-79.

Applied and Policy Context

  • Damsgaard, J. (2025). EU risikerer digital apokalypse uden modspil.
  • Damsgaard, J. (2025). Dansk digital suverænitet er truet indefra.
  • Damsgaard & Gadsbøll (2025). Tag ikke en kampvogn med til en dronekrig.
  • European Commission (2024). The Future of European Competitiveness (Draghi Report).
  • ENISA (2025). Threat Landscape Report.

Supplementary Sources

  • Nye, J. (2021). Do Morals Matter? Oxford University Press.
  • EU Council (2025). NIS2 Implementation Guidelines.
  • Farrell & Newman (2019). Of Privacy and Power. Princeton University Press.
Last updated on 11-03-2026