A world first in Digital Infrastructure
Launched in 2025 at the University of California, Berkeley, the Certificate in Global Digital Infrastructure (GDI) is the first university program covering the technical, economic, legal, environmental, and social dimensions of the global internet’s infrastructure, including both data centers and subsea telecommunications cables.
Learn more about the GDI Certificate
Expert Insights
The GDI Certificate offers a broad and rigorous overview of digital infrastructure’s many components, taking these systems out of the “black box,” bringing knowledge to people depending on them, regulating them, and building the internet of the future. The program is co-designed in partnership with leading industry organizations SubOptic, iMasons, and DCD>Academy, integrating cutting-edge knowledge from experts across the sector.
Why Global Digital Infrastructure?
Today's economy runs on digital infrastructure – systems that move, store, and compute data and connect our lives. Their operation depends on a global effort involving companies, people from diverse backgrounds, and engineering, policy, and management expertise working across borders and cultures. Yet we rarely know anything about the people and institutions who design, build, maintain, regulate, and operate digital infrastructures. With AI's environmental impacts making headlines, this needs to change.
Testimonials
“Participating in the GDI program as a student was an incredibly rewarding experience. The instructors were patient and knowledgeable, and the supportive learning environment made it easy to build both confidence and technical skills. I appreciated the focus on making tech accessible to everyone, and I left the program feeling more empowered and inspired to continue my journey in tech.” — Amina Ibrahim, 2025 Young Professional/Student from Tanzania, SubOptic Association
“The program successfully bridged technical depth with strategic insights, which perfectly complements my background in telecommunications and enterprise architecture. I now feel better equipped to contribute to international projects in this domain, whether in pre-sales, bid management, or digital infrastructure consulting.” — Carrel Landry Moyou Ngandjon, Telecom Paris (Specialized Master in Digital Architecture)
“The GDI program offered a valuable blend of technical, business, and policy insights. It broadened my perspective and equipped me with practical tools and knowledge to address emerging challenges in digital infrastructure development.” — Jessica Halim, multilateral development finance professional
“The possibility of participating synchronously or asynchronously is one of the highlights of the course in my opinion. The format worked very well. The possibility of interaction between students, who are from different countries and locations, is also very enriching for the construction of knowledge.” — Ana Carolina Haddad, PhD Student, University Institute of Lisbon
Industry Partners
SubOptic Foundation
The SubOptic Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the SubOptic Association, focused primarily on supporting education and research within the fiber optic submarine cable systems industry. The Foundation’s mission is to advance knowledge and foster educational growth and research that drive innovation in the industry, underpinning the critical digital infrastructure serving the global community. Contributions fund programs, with current efforts supporting two key research programs—one dedicated to sustainability and the other to strategic network resilience.
iMasons
Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a global, nonprofit, professional association of individuals connected and empowered to build a greater digital future for all. Since its launch in 2016, the organization has brought together 6,000 individuals across 130 countries, a community representing USD 150+ billion in infrastructure projects. iMasons provides an agnostic platform for members to connect, grow, and give back across four strategic pillars: Education, Inclusion, Innovation, and Sustainability. Students receive a free membership to iMasons to network with other professionals. To learn more or to sign up, visit imasons.org.
TeleGeography
TeleGeography is a telecommunications data provider delivering trusted, independent analysis for telecom service providers, large enterprises, government agencies, and other research firms. Since 1989, telecom decision-makers have turned to TeleGeography for unbiased data that helps them gain a competitive advantage. Their research, data, and benchmarks cover a wide spectrum of telecom functions impacting the world’s largest enterprises, including submarine cable mapping, cloud and WAN, mobile/broadband/voice, data centers, IP and transport networks, network pricing, and more. For more information, visit www2.telegeography.com.
Data Center Dynamics (DCD)
DCD is the largest publication in the digital infrastructure space, with 15 million annual site visits, and 10+ events across North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. DCD’s education division, DCD>Academy, works with companies throughout the data center ecosystem to build training programs that target all areas of their mission-critical workforce - from facility operations and design engineering to construction and sales/commercial3 team training.
Academic Partners
The Certificate in Global Digital Infrastructure is supported by key academic partnerships across the UC Berkeley campus, with the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, College of Engineering, College of Environmental Design, Haas School of Business, and the School of Information, as well as the School of Computer and Data Sciences at the University of Oregon.