Insider Brief
- Canada has launched Phase 1 of the Canadian Quantum Champions Program, committing up to $92 million as part of a $334.3 million, five-year effort to strengthen its domestic quantum computing ecosystem and protect economic and national security interests.
- The program is providing up to $23 million each to Anyon Systems, Nord Quantique, Photonic, and Xanadu Quantum Technologies to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers with potential industrial and defence applications.
- The National Research Council of Canada will establish a benchmarking initiative to independently assess participating technologies as the program advances toward scalable, practical quantum systems.
Canada has moved to lock in its position in quantum technology, rolling out the first phase of a national program designed to keep companies, talent and sensitive capabilities anchored at home while pushing the technology closer to real-world use.
The federal government announced the launch of Phase 1 of the Canadian Quantum Champions Program, or CQCP, a new initiative that will invest up to $92 million to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers by four Canadian-headquartered firms, according to a news release. The funding is part of a broader commitment laid out in Budget 2025, which allocates $334.3 million over five years to strengthen the country’s quantum ecosystem, according to the government.
“Canada’s investment in the Canadian Quantum Champion Program is a bold step to anchor our world-class talent and companies here at home, helping drive innovation in a field that will transform our economy and daily lives,” Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, said in a statement. “By strengthening our quantum ecosystem, we are building long-term economic resilience while ensuring Canada’s leadership in science and technology benefits all Canadians.”
Quantum computing, which relies on the unusual behavior of matter at very small scales, is widely seen as a potential driver of advances in fields ranging from national security and energy systems to drug discovery and materials science.
Four Companies, Four Approaches
As part of the first phase, the government has signed agreements with four Canadian-headquartered firms: Anyon Systems, Nord Quantique, Photonic, and Xanadu Quantum Technologies. Each company is eligible to receive up to $23 million to accelerate development of fault-tolerant quantum computers that demonstrate industrial relevance.
The group reflects the diversity of technical approaches being pursued in the field. Some focus on superconducting circuits cooled to near absolute zero, others on photonic systems that use particles of light, and others on error-correction methods designed to make hardware more robust. Backing multiple paths is intended to hedge technical risk while building depth across the national ecosystem.
The funding is tied to advancing systems beyond academic prototypes toward machines that can be tested against real workloads, such as optimization problems, materials modeling or secure communications.
According to Lisa Lambert, CEO of Quantum Industry Canada, this backing represents growing recognition from governments around the world are increasing spending in quantum to address concerns about economic competitiveness, supply-chain control and technological sovereignty.
“Quantum technologies — computing, sensing, and communications — are now understood as strategic infrastructure that will underpin economic competitiveness and national security for decades to come,” Lambert said. “The Canadian Quantum Champions Program (CQCP) is designed to ensure that Canada translates its early leadership in quantum computing into scalable, sovereign capability with long-term value — anchoring the companies, talent, and intellectual property here. This is not merely about inventing the future, but building it here, in Canada. Budget 2025 signalled the Government of Canada’s commitment to quantum as a strategic priority under the new Defence Industrial Strategy. Today’s launch of the CQCP is a significant step in translating that commitment into action. With milestone-based funding and independent benchmarking, the program supports multiple technical pathways while applying scientific rigour to manage risk and accelerate industrialization.”
A Push to Anchor Quantum at Home
The CQCP is intended to prevent a familiar pattern in advanced technology, where early-stage research succeeds domestically but companies later move operations or are acquired abroad. Federal officials framed the program as a way to anchor leading quantum companies and highly specialized workers in Canada, while creating a pathway from laboratory demonstrations to systems that can support industrial and government use.
Phase 1 focuses on supporting approaches to quantum computing that can scale toward machines capable of solving practical problems. Unlike early quantum devices, which are prone to errors from noise and environmental interference, fault-tolerant systems are designed to detect and correct errors as computations run. That capability is widely considered a prerequisite for meaningful commercial and security applications.
The government said the program is aimed at building quantum computers that are both more powerful and more reliable, with an emphasis on systems that could eventually be built and operated in Canada.
“Canada’s leadership in quantum innovation is building an economy that is resilient, competitive, and sovereign,” said Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. “By investing in Canadian companies through the Canadian Quantum Champions Program, we are ensuring that Canadian ingenuity drives global breakthroughs in strategic sectors such as defence, advanced manufacturing and energy, creating high-quality jobs, and securing long-term prosperity for communities across the country.”
Measuring Progress
To support that effort, the National Research Council of Canada will establish a new Benchmarking Quantum Platform initiative. The platform will provide expert, independent assessment of the underlying technologies being developed under the CQCP, working closely with the participating companies.
Benchmarking is a growing challenge in quantum computing, where performance claims can be difficult to compare across different hardware designs. The government said the initiative will help ensure progress is measured consistently and credibly as the program advances.
Details about later phases of the CQCP, including additional funding, milestones and technical requirements, will be released as the program develops.
Defence and Sovereignty
The investment is also tied to Canada’s forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy. Quantum technologies have potential applications in cryptography, secure communications, advanced materials, signal processing and pattern recognition, all of which are relevant to modern defence and intelligence systems.
David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence said in a statement that building domestic capability is not only an economic issue but also a matter of security. As quantum computing matures, it could undermine current encryption systems while enabling new forms of secure communication, raising concerns about reliance on foreign technologies.
“By investing in quantum technologies, Canada will strengthen domestic innovation, build domestic capabilities and enhance interoperability,” said David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence. “Today’s investment will help build a modern, innovative and competitive defence ecosystem that creates good jobs, drives growth, and strengthens security for all Canadians. This is not just an investment in technology; it is an investment in national security for decades to come.”
