America’s critical infrastructure powers the services, industries, and technologies that keep the nation running. Energy, manufacturing, healthcare, and industrial sectors increasingly rely on sophisticated operational technology (OT) systems to deliver essential goods and services. Protecting and strengthening these systems is vital to ensuring the resilience, security, and competitiveness of the nation.

The Challenge

With this digital transformation comes unprecedented risk. The same connectivity that makes our industrial systems more efficient also makes them vulnerable to sophisticated cyber threats. Recent attacks on critical infrastructure — from water treatment facilities to major pipeline systems to manufacturing plants — demonstrate that the question is not if an attack will occur, but when.

We face a perfect storm of cybersecurity challenges. 

• Evolving Threats: Nation-state actors and sophisticated cybercriminals are targeting critical infrastructure with increasing frequency and capability.
• Complex Systems: Industrial systems are geographically dispersed, highly interconnected, and encompass diverse technologies — from decades-old OT to cutting-edge smart manufacturing and automation components.
• IT/OT Gap: Traditional cybersecurity focuses on information technology (IT), but critical infrastructure requires expertise that spans both IT and OT—the physical systems that control industrial processes, medical devices, and manufacturing operations.
• Workforce Shortage: Companies struggle to find professionals who understand both cybersecurity and operational technology and are often unable to fill critical positions.

The Solution

The University of Pittsburgh Cyber Energy Center brings together the region’s leading companies, cybersecurity firms, technology providers, and workforce development organizations to create a collaborative ecosystem that develops and transitions cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies specifically designed for critical infrastructure, trains the next generation of professionals who can bridge the IT/OT divide, rapidly validates solutions to today’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges, and creates pathways for wide-ranging talent into high-demand careers.