The merger of INO and CRIM makes Luqia the largest industrial innovation laboratory dedicated to Canadian companies. It has a clear objective: to develop and industrialize locally critical technologies in artificial intelligence, advanced photonics and quantum technology.
With more than 250 experts at Luqia’s facilities in Quebec City and Montreal, SMEs, large corporations and institutional partners will have access, from April1, to multidisciplinary expertise and secure infrastructures enabling them to design, test and deploy high-impact technologies, particularly in critical sectors such as defense, aerospace, cybersecurity, Arctic surveillance and space.
A strategic partner for today’s challenges
In a climate of trade tensions and reconfiguration of value chains, local mastery of critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, photonics and quantum technology is becoming decisive. Luqia aims to give Quebec and Canadian companies this competitive edge, and will contribute to strengthening national defense capabilities.
By leveraging the synergy between photonics and artificial intelligence, Luqia’s teams are paving the way for a new generation of intelligent systems combining ultra-high-precision optical sensors and AI algorithms capable of capturing, interpreting and acting on complex data in real time, an essential capability for autonomous platforms, advanced surveillance systems and national security applications.
Luqia’s creation is made possible by financial support from the Government of Canada, through Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and the Government of Quebec, to strengthen Canada’s industrial innovation capabilities in critical technology fields related to artificial intelligence, photonics and national security.
Quotes
“Today, we are democratizing access to powerful levers for economic development, strengthening the competitiveness of our industries in a context of trade tensions, and stimulating innovation in critical sectors such as defense, aerospace, life sciences and advanced manufacturing”.
- Sébastien Proulx, Chairman of the Board, Luqia
“It’s important to prepare industrial sectors for tomorrow’s reality, marked by the rapid convergence of artificial intelligence, photonics and quantum technologies. Economies that know how to develop and master these critical technologies locally will take a decisive lead in a global context characterized by the reconfiguration of value chains and increased competition”.
- Alain Chandonnet, Chairman and CEO of Luqia
“Artificial intelligence offers immense potential, but its deployment in mission-critical applications requires rigor, validation and reliability. We are proud to pool our expertise within Luqia to accelerate the transition from ideas to robust, operational industrial solutions, for the benefit of local organizations and collective security.”
- Françoys Labonté, Executive Vice-President, Luqia
About Luqia
The result of the merger of the activities of the Institut national d’optique (INO) and the Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal (CRIM), Luqia is a brand-new industrial innovation laboratory at the crossroads of academia and industry, bringing together expertise in artificial intelligence, advanced photonics and quantum technologies. It offers a unique R&D and pre-commercial prototyping capability that converts discoveries in AI and photonics into marketable products, generating major socio-economic benefits for companies in Quebec and Canada, as well as contributing to national security. Its activities, made possible through the sustained collaboration of the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie, and Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, are helping to boost productivity, increase business competitiveness, and strengthen Quebec’s and Canada’s technological autonomy.”
