Our research

The Digital Economic Security Lab (DIESL) maps these infrastructures, assesses countries’ and sectors’ dependence on them, and explains how they are shaped by economic and political forces. Our work informs policy making and business strategy and advances academic debates in international political economy, cybersecurity, and related fields.

Our flagship project GEOCLOUD: The Geopolitics of Cloud Computing tracks the global and sectoral reach of U.S. and Chinese cloud computing infrastructures. In other work, we chart the geographic distribution and ownership of compute clusters that power AI services. We believe that transformations in digital infrastructures have far-reaching consequences, because in a digitized society computational power translates to political power.

DIESL is the name of Professor Vili Lehdonvirta’s joint research group at the Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Finland, and the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK. It was established in 2024 with funding from the European Research Council and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation.

Our impact

DIESL plays a pivotal role in analysing and informing public discourse on the geopolitical and economic ramifications of digital infrastructure and technology monopolies. For example:

• A study by DIESL revealed that Chinese-run cloud clusters dominate in seven out of twelve Asian countries analysed, indicating China’s growing influence in the region’s digital landscape.
• DIESL’s research identified a significant global disparity in the distribution of powerful AI chips, with the US and China leading, leaving many countries as “Compute Deserts” lacking access to essential computational resources.
• DIESL analysed the increasing role of major technology companies in laying subsea internet cables, underscoring shifts in global internet infrastructure control.