Since 1999, Lazaridis has invested $270 million in the Institute of Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo in the hope that this would lead to the commercialisation of quantum computers and quantum technologies.

Lazaridis is not alone in investing in quantum computing in Waterloo. A further $490 million has been invested by the Canadian Government as well as the state of Ontario, and including $100 million from the University of Waterloo itself.

As futuristic as this sounds, Lazaridis and Canada are not alone in believing that quantum computing is an area worth investing in. Google and Lockheed Martin have each bought a multi-million dollar quantum computer from D-Wave which claims to be a 512-qubit machine. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has recently assembled 20 inter-disciplinary academics in a Quantum Information Science Center to explore the opportunities that quantum computing will present.