One reason could be that, governments tend to invest in sectors that are not jet profitable. The moment a research area looks as if it is ripe for commercializa

One reason could be that, governments tend to invest in sectors that are not jet profitable. The moment a research area looks as if it is ripe for commercialization, private entities join and for various reasons are much faster. Good examples are quantum computing and fusion. Both were purely government funded, now that the fields approach usability we see private companies enter.