Tech Policy at Duke University

The global technology supply chain is becoming more complex, interdependent, and interconnected every year. Whether software on mobile phones, hardware and firmware used in critical infrastructure, or semiconductors powering cloud computing and the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI), technology components are routinely sourced from and then used around the world.

The components and applications from the global tech supply chain touch consumers, their devices, and their data; innovation and economic competitiveness; and risks to public safety and national security. Consequently, the security, safety, and resiliency of the global tech supply chain is one of the most pressing technology policy topics of the day. Efforts to undermine supply chain security, safety, trust, and resilience can have significant impacts on people and communities in the US and around the world, especially for at-risk groups and organizations without the capacity to respond.

To tackle these very questions, Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy is launching a new research project focused on technology supply chain risk. Housed under the Technology Policy Lab, run by Professors David Hoffman and Ken Rogerson, the project will be led by Justin Sherman, adjunct professor and senior fellow. It will focus on specific, scoped issues within three tech supply chain categories: hardware, software, and data. Leveraging the strengths of Sanford’s Tech Policy Lab, the research project will draw on faculty, staff, and student expertise in computer science, engineering, cybersecurity, privacy, policy, law, and global affairs. It will also collaborate with scholars in other Duke University schools and programs.

The project will advance the Tech Policy Lab’s mission of conducting rigorous, innovative research on technology and policy issues while driving towards better public policy outcomes. As part of the project, the research team will also be publishing a series of tech supply chain risk articles on Lawfare, the leading non-profit publication focused on “Hard National Security Choices.”

For more information about this project, including inquiries about opportunities to support the research and related policy engagements, please reach out to David Hoffman and Justin Sherman.

More information about Supply Chain research from the Technology Policy Lab