  We introduce a global equivariant refinement of algebraic K-theory; here
`global equivariant' refers to simultaneous and compatible actions of all
finite groups. Our construction turns a specific kind of categorical input data
into a global $\Omega$-spectrum that keeps track of genuine $G$-equivariant
infinite loop spaces, for all finite groups $G$. The resulting global algebraic
K-theory spectrum is a rigid way of packaging the representation K-theory, or
`Swan K-theory' into one highly structured object.
