San Diego, California
Every fall, the Student International Business Council (SIBC) brings together student teams from USD, Notre Dame, and Benedictine College for our annual International Political Economy (IPE) forum to address the critical ways global industries must take action to combat complex international challenges. This year, our student consultants stepped directly into the crosshairs of the modern "Tech Cold War." Teams tackled a pressing macroeconomic dilemma: Amid intense U.S.–China–EU competition over artificial intelligence, how can countries balance urgent national security concerns with the competing priorities of economic growth, innovation, and technological development?
To ground this geopolitical friction in commercial reality, the forum presentations proposed actionable corporate strategies for two distinct firms navigating the challenges of technological sovereignty. The resulting student frameworks provided a masterclass in risk management and strategic positioning—mapping out how global companies can successfully scale across borders, isolate sensitive data infrastructure, and maintain operational compliance while operating within increasingly protective and competing international tech ecosystems.
