Researchers warn government procurement is entrenching monopolies in AI, space and quantum tech
A commentary argues that government contracts, grants and procurement rules for frontier technologies—space, AI and quantum computing—are quietly locking in dominant suppliers rather than fostering open competition. The authors point to the space sector, where repeated launch contracts to the same firms like SpaceX build data and performance advantages that make it harder for rivals to break in, and warn similar patterns are emerging in AI and quantum funding decisions.