Quantum technologies are expected to reshape every sector of the economy — in ways that could be more historic than the advent of the internet. And while quantum computing could enable innovations beyond what classical computers can achieve, it could also create cybersecurity threats that break all conventional safeguards — a point experts call “Q-Day.” It’s why major companies — like IBM, Google, and Microsoft — are in the race to perfect quantum solutions, which are expected to be a trillion-dollar industry by 2040.

One company that is on the edge of a breakthrough is Photonic, which is headquartered in Coquitlam but also has offices in the U.S. and U.K. The organization previously made headlines following a USD $100 million investment from a pool of backers, including Microsoft. And this week, it hit another milestone through its partnership with Telus to accelerate the development of quantum communications. As part of the collaboration, Photonic will have its own 30-kilometre fibre network in B.C. to test its technologies, aiming to help industries prepare for a quantum-secure future. The deal marks the first time a Canadian startup has been granted this level of access to a telecom operator’s network to explore quantum capabilities.

What allows quantum computers to be more powerful than classical computers is their use of qubits rather than bits to make calculations. Bits handle information in a binary system, by presenting as either a 0 or 1. Qubits, however, can process huge amounts of information at once by using the quantum ability to exist as 0, 1, or both at the same time.

Experts say a reliable quantum computer could be here in five years. Recognizing its arrival in the near future, the Canadian federal government has invested $1 billion over the past 20 years and the country is home to leading businesses. The Greater Vancouver area alone is one of the world’s centres. Pioneer D-Wave created the first commercially available quantum computer, and now Photonic is on a mission to make further leaps. The company is also working on advancing networking — systems that connect devices to communicate and exchange data — and key distribution, which securely shares encryption keys between parties.

Setting Photonic apart from others is its ability to use optically-linked silicon spin qubits. Compared to other types based on, say, semiconductors or ion traps (a combination of electric or magnetic fields that capture ions), Photonic connects particles of light to reach longer distances. Silicon spin qubits are also compatible with existing technology and are known to have increased stability and lower error rates.

Through its funding and partnerships, Photonic is attempting to build the first system that is scalable, reliable, and has the capability to do both quantum computing and quantum networking.

“There's a lot of opportunity when we commercialize quantum that we've known for about 30 to 40 years — that once you hit a certain scale and performance, you can do things you just can't do any other way with computing and networking,” Dr. Stephanie Simmons, founder of Photonic, told the Vancouver Tech Journal. “We've commercialized branches of physics many times, like electromagnetism. Although quantum physics still has that kind of magic vibe to it, so did magnets 200 years ago. And now they're kind of routine, right? So I would say the first quantum technology that people are familiar with is MRIs, but what we can do is use that same technology for computing [...] Once you hit a certain level of performance and scale, the challenge is, ‘Can you get the scale and the performance all together?’”

The executive added: “What Photonic is doing and committed to is using networks [...] Just like how classical computers have networks of computers [...] That's kind of a novel view within the quantum community. People hadn't thought of things that way. So we’re excited to collaborate with Telus to demonstrate this in real, deployed fibre, because that's going to unlock a lot of applications. It just can't be done any other way.”

When asked about how Photonic’s work will affect communities in B.C., Simmons noted the role of catalyst design — the process of developing or engineering materials to make chemical reactions happen faster and more effectively without being used up in the process.

“There’s going to be a massive energy transition,” she highlighted. “Energy is usually transferred through the movement of materials [...] We have no computational tools at all to understand how catalysts work. So even just being able to understand how to make one material into another or how to avoid corrosion — [...] the more that we can actually understand, the better we can inform different industries and improve their ROI. As we understand how to make design catalysts that are fit for purpose, we can be a lot more efficient with the things that we do energy-wise, and have different opportunities to have different storage and transport — even carbon capture.”

As for what Simmons wants people to take away from the impact of quantum technologies on a local and global level, she wishes that others will be optimistic about what the future could bring.

“There's a bit of work to be done to say, ‘We know this is coming. Let's tidy up our infrastructure so that this isn't going to be a bumpy road,’” she said.  “And then as we go through it, we can then use the upside, right? We can unlock all kinds of new things. [...] There will be a ChatGPT moment where people will be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is what we can do.’ It's helpful to let people know that that's imminent and not far away. I think that's the most important thing. And that there's opportunities to work.

“There's opportunities to see B.C. leading the world,” she continues. “B.C. really does have a special place in terms of the global development scene on many deep tech things. We should be proud of that.”

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