#canadaquantum

Canada Quantum Launches $92 Million Quantum Champions Program for Sovereign Computing

Canada Quantum

Today, the Canadian government launched Phase 1 of the Canadian Quantum Champions Program (CQCP) to scale Canada's quantum computing expertise into sovereign capabilities. The announcement was made by Minister of AI and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon.

Initial CQCP costs could reach $92 million. Budget 2025 allocated $334.3 million to strengthen Canada's quantum ecosystem over five years. Industrial-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers that answer real-world issues are developed faster by attracting top Canadian quantum firms and expertise. A fault-tolerant quantum computer employs inbuilt error correction algorithms to keep working even if its operations or qubits fail.

Minister Solomon called the investment a “bold step to anchor our world-class talent and companies here at home,” fostering innovation in an area expected to transform life and the economy. The Canadian quantum industry is anticipated to provide 157,000 jobs and $17.7 billion in GDP by 2045.

Program Details and Strategy Alignment

The initial phase of the CQCP saw four Canadian companies—Anyon Systems, Nord Quantique, Photonic, and Xanadu Quantum Technologies—signing $23 million contracts. These businesses must accelerate industrial fault-tolerant quantum computer development.

Program strategy aligns with future Defence Industrial Strategy. Quantum computing technologies are used in military and national security for cryptography, better materials, signal processing, and threat assessment pattern identification. The CQCP aims to keep Canada at the forefront of military and security innovation by improving its capabilities.

Scientific rigour and risk management are achieved through milestone-based funding and independent benchmarking. The NRC will launch the Benchmarking Quantum Platform program as part of the CQCP. This platform will evaluate each company's quantum technologies and technical developments professionally and scientifically to determine eligibility for additional funding.

Enabling Sovereign Quantum Computing

QIC calls Canada's $92 million quantum sovereignty investment a crucial “next phase.”

Lisa Lambert, CEO of Quantum Industry Canada (QIC), said the CQCP is meant to ensure that Canada turns its early quantum computing expertise into scalable, sovereign capabilities with long-term benefit.

Lambert said quantum computing, sensing, and communications constitute strategic infrastructure that will support economic competitiveness and national security for decades. She said the goal is not simply “inventing the future, but building it here, in Canada” and that the investment is necessary to secure people, businesses, and IP domestically.

Strategic coherence, program strictness

Budget 2025 made quantum a strategic priority under the new Defence Industrial Strategy, and the CQCP reflects that commitment.

Scientific rigour is integrated through milestone-based funding and independent benchmarking to reduce risk and speed industrialization. This technique supports several technological avenues.