Canada’s quantum computing ambitions are drawing attention to the country’s ability to turn research into a globally competitive industry. The federal budget has put the sector’s future in sharper focus.
BNN Bloomberg spoke with Christian Weedbrook, founder and CEO at Xanadu, about Canada’s position in quantum computing, the company’s third-quarter results and its development plans.
Key Takeaways
- Weedbrook says AI complements quantum computing and has helped accelerate some of his team’s development work by a year or more.
- Decades of university research, access to funding and strong scientific teams are helping Canada attract and retain quantum computing talent, he says.
- Reducing optical loss is a central technical challenge in scaling quantum computers that use light to carry information.
- Xanadu is prioritizing hardware milestones as it targets a large-scale quantum computer in 2029 or 2030, when Weedbrook expects significant revenue opportunities.
- Low-loss optical components could generate revenue from AI and data centre applications, provided commercialization supports the company’s main quantum computing goal.
Read the full transcript below:
ROGER: Last week’s federal budget singled out Xanadu by name as a critical investment alongside Cohere for Canada to maintain its sovereignty. Let’s find out what it will take for companies like Xanadu to scale and compete on the global stage. Joining me now is Christian Weedbrook, the founder and CEO of Xanadu. Christian, good to see you. How are you?
CHRISTIAN: I’m good, thank you. How are you?
ROGER: Good. Let’s talk big picture. Being mentioned in a budget, a lot of pressure on you. Where do you see quantum fitting in? People are starting to grasp AI. I think quantum, though, is still, is still the next level. Where do you see it fitting in now and coming down the road?
CHRISTIAN: Yeah, it was great to see Xanadu mentioned in the budget, as you mentioned. You know, I think the big thing that more and more people are realizing is the fact that, you know, quantum is going to be the next big thing after artificial intelligence. Folks are now very much familiar with AI and what it can do, and we see, you know, quantum computing as the next big thing after AI, and specifically, like something, if you look at the early days of the internet or early days of digital computing, that’s really where quantum computing sits. Xanadu is one of the leaders in the world, proudly Canadian, and we truly are on the world stage.
ROGER: And where does it fit in with AI? Is it competition, or is it going to work together with it?
CHRISTIAN: Really, we see it as working together, for sure. You know, along with it being the next big thing after AI, AI is not going anywhere. And to give you a great example, we use a lot of AI currently in building towards building a large-scale quantum computer. Some of the AI LLMs that we’ve used have really sped up our team’s progress by a year or more, which is quite phenomenal. So they go very well together, and we think that’s an, you know, really essential component to getting to a large-scale quantum computer that can really attract large amount of customers and, at that point, change the world.
ROGER: And what would it mean for sovereignty here in Canada?
CHRISTIAN: Yeah, I think that’s one of the reasons why we were mentioned in the budget. It’s a sovereign play. It’s really important. Specifically, we’re in the DARPA QBI program. Canada has its own version of the QBI program called the Canadian Quantum Champions Program, and that’s, I believe, what was mentioned in the budget. So the Canadian government has long invested in quantum computing through universities, probably for over two decades now, and Xanadu and other great companies in Canada are now leveraging that, you know, that seed that was planted in terms of the jobs. We had nearly 400 folks. Half of them, I believe, now, or over half, are actually from Canada. So we’ve done a great job in attracting the future workforce and talent by coming to Canada and staying here.
ROGER: Is Canada, is Canada a centre for quantum? And are they keeping people? You say some people have come, but are we losing some as well?
CHRISTIAN: No, I mean, on the overall, we’re definitely attracting the talent and keeping them here. They love Canada. They love the fact that, you know, that we have some world-class talent. Three of the Canadian companies, including Xanadu, are actually part of 11 companies in the DARPA QBI program. So we’re hitting a well above our body weight, and also funding. We have a lot of great investors that are investing, Canadian investors, and so I think that’s attracting some great talent. But overall, I think it’s, you know, Xanadu has had four Nature publications, two in the last year, and really the best talent want to see what the best talent is working on and come join them. And Xanadu is a great example of that.
ROGER: And talking about where you’re at, I mean, your earnings report just came out, some big misses. What’s driving all that right now? I know you’re early.
CHRISTIAN: Yeah, yeah, exactly. The main thing that we focus on is hardware development and hardware milestones and achieving them. And so, the biggest challenge for us and anyone else building quantum computers is errors. And we’re a photonic-based approach, and the errors really come from a loss and the loss of the photonic systems, essentially. So we focus on taking the opportunity for our earnings calls to reiterate that it’s all about technical milestones. Revenue is obviously key, but quantum computing is really the end result, is achieving a large-scale quantum computer by 2029, 2030. Other companies are doing great work, and they’re focusing, it seems like, some cases exclusively on revenue. We believe that, for us, the best approach is to focus on hardware milestones because in 2029, 2030, when we’re aiming to have our large-scale quantum computer, that’s when all bets are off, and that’s when true revenue actually occurs. And we think investors are investing in us because of our hardware milestones, our technical capabilities and our unique photonic-based approach.
ROGER: And how are you doing with those milestones? What are you hitting right now?
CHRISTIAN: Yeah, our milestones are on track. We announced three key optical loss demonstrations, and particularly we have what we believe is the world’s best low-loss optical switch. Optical switches are needed for our quantum computer, but they have far bigger, you know, currently far bigger applications in, in quant— in, in AI and data centres as well. So we’re really excited about that, and that’s a great example of where the team is hitting their hardware milestones when it comes to loss reduction.
ROGER: Is that a possible revenue stream, then? Data centres before you, we get into the full quantum computers.
CHRISTIAN: It is a possibility. As we mentioned on our earnings call, our relationship to revenue is as long as it doesn’t deviate from building a large-scale quantum computer, which is what our main focus is, then we’re definitely open to commercializing things. The reality is, Xanadu has, you know, arguably the best team in the world for extreme low-loss optical components. Things like AI, data centres, they’re becoming more and more relevant. So we do keep an eye on that, and it’s something that we’re definitely considering.
ROGER: And what are some of the other milestones that you’ve been hitting, and what do they mean?
CHRISTIAN: Yeah, some great partnerships. We announced partnerships with ASML. We believe we’re the only quantum company so far that’s actually working with ASML. We announced great partnerships with Bluefors as well, and all of these partnerships are helping us to achieve the ultimate vision of a large-scale quantum computer. Also, from the commercial side and partnerships and revenue side, some great partnerships with Mitsubishi as well. So the team is firing on all cylinders. I’m really excited of the future.
ROGER: OK, Christian, thank you very much for joining us today. Appreciate it.
CHRISTIAN: Thank you for having me.
ROGER: Christian Weedbrook is the founder and CEO of Xanadu.
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This BNN Bloomberg summary and transcript of the Nov. 13, 2026 interview with Christian Weedbrook are published with the assistance of AI. Original research, interview questions and added context was created by BNN Bloomberg journalists. An editor also reviewed this material before it was published to ensure its accuracy and adherence with BNN Bloomberg editorial policies and standards.
