Canada risks losing quantum computing ownership to US dominance
Canada faces a defining choice between seizing the incoming quantum computing revolution or letting the United States dominate the sector, as global industry leaders accelerate hardware breakthroughs. The shift relies on qubits rather than traditional bits, fundamentally altering how vast amounts of data are processed for medicine, supply chains, and encryption.
Canadian Pioneering Roots Face Global Infrastructure Pressures
Canada has maintained an outsized influence in quantum computing for decades, anchored by deep research expertise and a steady supply of skilled workers. Institutions such as the Institute for Quantum Computing and the Perimeter Institute at the University of Waterloo, along with the Université de Sherbrooke, McGill and the University of Toronto, have produced world-class talent, theglobeandmail.com reported. Commercial pioneers include Toronto-based Xanadu, a leader in photon-based quantum computing, and Burnaby, British Columbia-founded D-Wave, one of the oldest quantum computing firms globally.
Yet the country risks repeating past infrastructure pitfalls witnessed during the artificial intelligence boom. While Canada successfully cultivated AI talent, it has lagged in building the domestic infrastructure required to retain economic ownership of the technology, according to theglobeandmail.com reporting.
The Technological Leap from Bits to Qubits
Traditional computers operate on bits representing either a 0 or 1, functioning much like a flat coin resting on heads or tails. Quantum computers utilize qubits, which can exist as 0, 1, or any combination simultaneously, comparable to a spinning coin. Quantum entanglement allows two distant qubits to remain instantaneously correlated across vast spaces, enabling quantum machines to process immense datasets in a fraction of the time required by classical supercomputers.
American industry leaders have already demonstrated this velocity. In 2019, Google claimed its quantum computer performed a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years to complete. Since 2024, Google has advanced these capabilities further through new quantum chips and algorithms, theglobeandmail.com reported.
Because of their extreme complexity, these nascent machines will not handle everyday administrative tasks. Instead, their applications target molecular-level drug and material design, global supply chain optimization, and advanced encryption. Militaries in the United States and China are already deploying the technology under classified frameworks.
Federal Strategy Meets Multilateral Safety Demands
To capture economic value from the sector, the federal government released the National Quantum Strategy in 2023. The framework establishes three core missions: positioning Canada as a global leader, safeguarding national cybersecurity, and integrating quantum sensing into digital infrastructure. McKinsey estimated in 2025 that the global quantum technologies market will reach US$100-billion by 2035, theglobeandmail.com reported.
As development accelerates, industry observers warn against repeating the unguided expansion seen in artificial intelligence.
Addressing these systemic challenges requires broad multilateral collaboration. As Canada diversifies its trade and diplomatic focus toward Europe, policymakers have an opening to forge international alliances that direct quantum technologies toward public benefit while securing humanity against unfettered risks.