The United Nations has just proclaimed 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. Perimeter Institute COO Paul Smith asks what will it take to bring the long-promised quantum revolution to fruition right here.

Quantum science will change the world.

This is no exaggeration. It’s happening.

But where it will happen remains an open question. One thing, however, is clear: It will be where leaders make it a priority. Good things happen to those who commit.

Canada, among other countries, has taken the first steps in this direction, but seeing it to fruition will be a big challenge.

It’s safe to say that the whole world knows the quantum revolution is coming. The United Nations just declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. It will be a celebration of the progress scientists and innovators have made in the last century, from Schrödinger’s cat to the invention of the laser, the LED, the solar cell, the MRI, and more. But it will also be a call to action: To bring about new communications techniques, cybersecurity protocols, powerful computers, and advances in material science. All of it is at humanity’s fingertips, and the UN has aptly observed that we will need it to reach a sustainable future.

It’s easier said than done. This will take investment. It will take passion. It will take a thriving knowledge economy, and a society that values fundamental research.

It will take a commitment to laying the groundwork today, for tomorrow’s benefit.

Canada could do all these things. We know it can, because it’s already started.

At the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, we have an insider’s view of this process in action.

Perimeter researchers, among other things, are actively exploring ways to improve quantum error correction – that is, how to keep quantum computers from making mistakes. It’s one of the key barriers to a full-blown quantum computing free-for-all. At the same time, we’re pioneering new quantum materials, where unusual phase transitions occur – like water to ice – but with magnetism and quantum states. Quantum physicists are devising materials that act like a single atom on a macroscopic scale. They’re creating matter with emergent properties, where the whole material demonstrates behaviours that the constituent particles within don’t show on their own. In these magnificent materials, the sum is literally greater than its parts.

The world of quantum physics sounds a lot like science fiction. It produces concepts with names like ‘quantum spin liquids’ and ‘time crystals.’ It promises to do calculations 100 million times faster than a supercomputer.

It doesn’t sound real. But it is. And it’s incredible.

Some of those breakthroughs in theoretical science become experimentally testable, at places like the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing, just down the road from Perimeter.

And those successful experiments can become commercially viable, and enter our lives through innovative quantum computing companies like Toronto’s Xanadu, Vancouver’s Photonic, or Nord Quantique in Sherbrooke, to name just a few. It’s a pipeline: from theory, to experiment, to reality. We must invest in all three to make progress. There is no getting around any of these steps.

Other countries know this.

China has, to date, put $15.3 billion in public investments into quantum research. The EU has put in more than $7 billion. The United States has put in nearly $2 billion.

Canada hasn’t been left behind. In fact, it punched above its weight by investing more than $1 billion over the last decade, and launching a national quantum strategy in 2023. That was a promising sign. So, what’s next?

If you’re not yet convinced that this should be a priority, remember that humanity has seen the fundamental research pipeline change the world before. Here’s one example. Research at the famous Bell Labs in New Jersey in 1947 led to the development of the transistor. That breakthrough paved the way for the microchip now inside every computer, smartphone, and electronic device you’ve ever encountered. It has connected the world like never before, and underpins the enormous growth of today’s biggest tech successes like Nvidia, whose chips are powering the AI boom.

There’s no reason to believe that today’s quantum research pipeline won’t do something similar. New insights into quantum entanglement in the second half of last century kicked open the doors for practical quantum applications (and, incidentally, earned quantum researchers the 2022 Nobel Prize).

The next phase is underway. We’re seeing the groundwork being laid. In fact, for the past 25 years, Perimeter has worked to help lay these building blocks by strengthening Canada’s contribution to the quantum sector, drawing new talent to our shores, and creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Our work has led us to partner with renowned research institutions, observatories, post-secondary institutions and tech companies around the world, as proud champions of Canada’s quantum leadership.

By choosing 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, the UN has made a visionary choice. It means that we all get to stand at the frontier of science, and watch it unfold in real time.

But we only get our slice of the pie if we put in the work. Canada took an early lead in quantum research – we shouldn’t let that get away from us. If you’re as keen as we are to earn Canada’s place in the quantum future – and you probably should be if you value a thriving tech industry and a skilled workforce here at home – then let’s get to it.

The quantum future is bright. Our place in it will be exactly what we make it.