The technologies that increasingly determine national security are being developed not only by governments but by private companies and universities. This creates a dilemma for liberal democracies like Japan: How can governments secure strategically important technologies without undermining the autonomy and innovation of the private sector?
Investment in dual-use technologies — those with both civilian and military applications — is increasingly seen as an efficient way for states to acquire critical capabilities. But because these technologies are often developed outside government, securing them requires more than technological capacity. It requires a way to govern dispersed capabilities without stifling them.
This is the challenge of technology sovereignty. Countries increasingly speak of AI sovereignty, digital sovereignty and data sovereignty. Technology sovereignty provides a broader framework for understanding these efforts.