Quantum Space and the Limits of Open Integration
Few fields better demonstrate the boundaries of the globalisation model than quantum science.
Quantum computing, sensing, and communication are often framed as long-term or speculative breakthroughs. In practice, they shape how states perceive power, secrecy, and reliance on technology. Their importance is more strategic than immediate commercial use: being an early leader confers significant advantages, whereas latecomers face ongoing risks of vulnerability.
Unlike earlier digital technologies, quantum systems do not lend themselves readily to globalised production or open diffusion. They rely on tightly controlled supply chains, rare materials, advanced fabrication, and deep integration with national research ecosystems. More importantly, their applications—cryptography, secure communications, intelligence, and military systems—place them firmly within the domain of national security.
As a result, quantum space is being organised outside the logic of classical globalisation.
From Open Science to Strategic Containment
During the era of globalisation, scientific collaboration was widely regarded as a positive development. Research moved freely across borders with minimal restrictions, and commercialisation aligned with global market principles. However, that model is now facing challenges.
Governments are increasingly treating quantum capabilities as assets that cannot be transferred. This trend is reflected in the rising use of export controls, security reviews for research, and restrictions on academic collaboration. Additionally, investment in quantum infrastructure is now often seen less as industrial support and more as a form of strategic insurance.
The main players—the United States, China, and a small group of advanced economies—are building parallel quantum ecosystems with limited interoperability. Firms such as IBM and Google operate at the frontier, but always within national regulatory and security frameworks.
Quantum communication networks, in particular, point towards a future in which information itself becomes selectively trusted—secured within blocs rather than universally accessible.
Why Quantum Accelerates the End of the Globalisation Era
Quantum space reinforces three broader trends reshaping the global economy.
Initially, it blurs the line between civilian and strategic technology, prioritising control, reliability, and sovereignty over market efficiency.
Secondly, it prioritises scale, patience, and governmental ability rather than price competition. These strengths allow countries to maintain long-term investments, even if immediate returns are not apparent.
Third, it challenges the idea that technological progress spreads automatically. In quantum systems, the advantage of being the first mover can be long-lasting instead of fleeting.
In this context, quantum space is not an outlier but a harbinger. It foreshadows a world in which the most consequential technologies are developed within bounded systems of trust, regulation, and political alignment.
A Post-Globalisation Technology Order
The emergence of quantum technologies does not mark the end of international collaboration; rather, it reshapes its dynamics. Cooperation will continue among trusted partners, governed by shared standards and security frameworks. What is diminishing is the assumption that openness on its own is the best approach.
The era of globalisation assumed that integration was both economically efficient and politically stabilising. Quantum space demonstrates why that assumption no longer applies. Some forms of integration now generate risk faster than they generate value.
As the world shifts towards a more fragmented and strategic phase of global order, quantum technology highlights that not all frontiers can—or should—be globalised.