Quantum Computing Report

The Canadian Quantum Ecosystem

Mohamed Abdel-Kareem
Figure. The Launch on January 13, 2023, of the Canadian National Quantum Strategy at the Perimeter Institute. Credit: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

by Amara Graps

Canada’s National Quantum Strategy (NQS)

It was a strategy that utilized extensive consultations to identify three key pillars of the strategy: research, talent development, and commercialization. After 2021, when the Government of Canada engaged with over 200 experts and stakeholders, including academics, industry representatives, and government, to understand Canada’s needs in quantum science, identify opportunities, and define priorities, the Canadian National Quantum Strategy was born. On January 13, 2023, the Canadian government chose the Perimeter Institute, the most famous physics institute in the world, to publicly announce the kickoff of their National Quantum Strategy (NQS).

Almost 2 years later, what is its status?

At the Quantum World Congress 2024, on October 15, 2024, in a succinct, 7-minute, update, Michael Rosenblatt, Director of the Federal Science and Technology Policy (FSTP) Directorate and National Quantum Strategy (NQS) Secretariat in Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), provided an update on the state of quantum development in Canada as part of the “National Quantum Updates” during the Global Collaboration track. Michael Rosenblatt’s group is responsible for horizontal federal Science and Technology policy, including policy development and co-ordination of the implementation of the NQS, both domestically and internationally. 

He first presented Canada’s three NQS Goals: 

  1. Communicate: Canada’s commitment to supporting quantum science and technology to domestic players, international talent, and investors, as well as key allies with a keen interest in quantum.
  2. Highlight: How past and current federal investments are advancing research, talent, commercialization, and security,
  3. Define: Canada’s longer-term missions for the quantum sector that can leverage the country’s existing strengths to develop and commercialize key quantum technologies and inform current and potential future investments.

From the last point, he described the quantum technology Missions, which are also three in number:

  1. Quantum Hardware and Software: Make Canada a world leader in the continued development, deployment, and use of quantum computing hardware and software- to the benefit of Canadian industry, governments, and citizens.
  2. Quantum Communications: Ensure the privacy and cybersecurity of Canadians in a quantum-enabled world through a national secure quantum communications network and a post-quantum cryptography initiative.
  3. Quantum sensors: Enable the Government of Canada and key industries to be developers and early adopters of new quantum sensing technologies.

Rosenblatt showed another slide about the distribution of the Canadian funding of $360M: ~$141M Research, ~$45M Talent, ~$169M Commercialization.

He then highlighted the four main quantum hubs, see the next Figure. 

Figure. At the Quantum World Congress 2024, on October 15, 2024, in a succinct, 7-minute, update,
Michael Rosenblatt, Director of the Canadian Federal Science and Technology Policy (FSTP) Directorate and National Quantum Strategy (NQS) Secretariat in Innovation, stepped through the NQS status. Here was his slide on the Canadian Quantum Ecosystem.

Of Canadian Quantum Companies,  Rosenblatt listed:

With his slide providing additional useful statistics, these Canadian quantum companies are mostly SMEs, with 50% of them having fewer than 10 people. Another 20% of the companies have 10-19 employees, and 11% have 100 or more employees. The quantum companies are distributed relatively evenly among Quebec, Ontario, and the West. 

With these numbers in mind, in an October 15, 2024 Interview by Kyle Briggs, titled: A Blueprint for Canadian Deep Tech Leadership from Quantum Industry Canada (QIC) with Quantum Industry Canada CEO: Lisa Lambert said:

“We need to ensure Canada’s quantum sector has access to the capital needed to get across the valley of death.”  — Lisa Lambert (CEO / Quantum Industry Canada) 

Lisa Lambert’s perspective and Interview with Kyle Briggs is an excellent historical and business perspective of the Canadian Quantum Ecosystem from someone who has been inside of the Canadian quantum field for many years and participating in its growth. Canada is at a junction: 

“It’s crucial to recognize that what got us here is not going to get us there.” — Lisa Lambert (CEO / Quantum Industry Canada) 

First Steps of Canada’s Quantum Roadmap

Typically, national strategy goals set the direction, with Roadmaps providing the steps to achieve those goals. Rosenblatt’s presentation showed an Advisory Council co-chaired by Drs. Stephanie Simmons and Raymond Laflamme, to provide strategic direction and advice. To confirm that this is the sequence of steps for Canada, his slide stated that Roadmaps will inform priorities and potential future quantum investments.

Two recent publications point towards the first steps of such a Roadmap:

These are first steps, only, however. The two documents are both critical of quantum technology for Canadians and about Canada’s NQS in particular. Either the 2021 consultations to develop the NQS did not include the CCA, or the CCA chose this step in the process, with a document nearly 300 pages long, of justifications and recommendations, to shape Canada’s Quantum Roadmap. 

The CCA paper:

In a similar tone, the Csenkey and Graver, 2024, article describes the Canadian NQS overall as an economics strategy, while missing the societal effects, and suggest that Canada should therefore incorporate principles like sustainability and equity. 

Canada’s Quantum Ecosystem from GQI’s PESTEL analysis

GQI has adopted, and customized a PESTEL framework to analyze national quantum ecosystems, as I wrote earlier here. It incorporates the following dimensions:

  1. Political: Policy (National initiatives, Quantum-specific); Collaboration (International partnerships, Bilateral agreements)
  2. Economic: Funding (Regional programs, VC & Strategic investments); Institutions and Markets; End User Sectors (Life Sciences, Chemical & Materials, Advanced Industries, Financial Services, Energy & Infrastructure, Security & Defense, Machine Learning, Cybersecurity)
  3. Social: Human Capital (BSc & MSc Programs, PhD Programs, Workforce); Support (Visa requirements, Startup-friendly environments, Relocation assistance)
  4. Technological: Science (University research, post-grad sponsorship, Research output); Partners (Incubators/Accelerators, Startups, RTOs, Big Tech, Fabrication facilities, Suppliers)
  5. Environmental: Mission Opportunities (Wind, CO2, Solar, Water, Electric, Hydrogen, Migration, Human Rights)
  6. Legal: Law (IP, Patents, Litigation); Regulations (Standards, Export controls, Data residency); Traditions (Dual-Use, On-site requirements, Centralization)

On an International perspective, Canada is ranked at #12 out of 32, underneath Japan and Singapore and tied with Australia and Ireland. See the next Figure. Its best dimension is Social, where it is ranked #6 in the world underneath Finland and above Sweden. Its poorest dimension is Legal, where it is ranked #19 in the world underneath China, UAE, and Germany and tied with New Zealand and Italy. On the other Dimensions, Canada is ranked: Political: #10, Economic: #8, Technological: #10, Environmental: #16. 

Canada’s poor ranking for Legal is due to a variety of Export controls:

Therefore, an improvement in this dimension, along with the Environmental PESTEL dimension, would raise Canada’s Overall Quantum Ecosystem ranking. With Canada’s 2025 G7 Presidency, and with its new 2025 International Call-to-Action, a focus on these dimensions might be most effective.

Figure. From GQI’s comprehensive Quantum Ecosystems Playbook where a country-by-country assessment can be made, including direct country-to-country comparison. (*) 

(*) GQI’s Ecosystem PESTEL analysis is both an Outlook Report, and one of six Playbooks: Quantum Computing Hardware, Hardware Supply Chain, Ecosystem, Investor, China, and Strategy, which are interactive exploration and discovery tools. If you are interested to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact info@global-qi.com. 

October 28, 2024

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