Page 54 - InvestinAlberta-EDA-2024-2

AT A GLANCE
Cold, Hard Logic
Cooling things like semiconductors down to the lowest temperatures ever recorded by humankind can aid in quantum computing. The colder the refrigeration, the better the results.
Launched by Dr. John Davis in Edmonton, Alberta’s capital city, and inspired by his research at the University of Alberta, Zero Point Cryogenics is a company that specializes in making dilution refrigerators that can reach 10-30 millikelvin in about a day. That’s colder than -270 C. That’s more than 100 degrees colder than the lowest temperature recorded on Mars.
The federal government has invested $1 billion in quantum research over the previous decade, while the Alberta govern- ment has made a $23 million investment into Quantum City, a University of Calgary led initiative to create a technological
hub in the province’s largest city. In total, Quantum City has earned more than $100 million in public and private investment.
And universities in Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge are all part of the Quantum Alberta network, “joined together to elevate quantum science and technology research, development, and commercialization in Alberta.”
Drink Beer, Help the Environment
3,000+
Number of technology companies in Alberta
2,982
Direct technology jobs were created in Alberta, supporting 78 companies
>1,400
Tech start-ups are in Alberta
$729 MILLION Amount of venture capital funding that
Alberta-based companies received in 2022
TOP FIVE SUB-SECTORS FOR DIRECT TECHNOLOGY JOBS IN ALBERTA:
PERENTAGE OF TECH COMPANIES IN ALBERTA BY SECTOR
54 INVEST IN ALBERTA 2 0 2 4
EDAAlberta.ca
Sources: Government of Alberta, Alberta Enterprise, University of Alberta, Calgary Economic Development, Invest Alberta Corporation, Start Alberta
24.7%
19.4% 12.8%
Other Health, Industries Wellness
12.4%
Energy & Mining
3.2%
Agriculture, Food &
Bio Sources
Award winning beer is not the first thing that comes to mind when considering adopting technology, but that’s just what Blindman Brewing is doing. Working with Earthly Labs, a supplier of small-scale carbon capture systems, the project is also a collaboration with Olds College located
in Central Alberta and Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, located in Edmonton.
The system captures the CO2 made during the fermentation process, which is then reused to carbonate the beer. Estimated to reduce more than 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions per year by 2025, this innovation could lead to more than 100 breweries of similar scale adopting this technology.
The project was funded initially by
ERA (Emissions Reduction Alberta) that has
a goal of helping the province reduce its environmental impact, while also achieving its economic goals. ERA provides two streams of funding, one aimed at innovative technology projects and another at infrastructure upgrades — all with the overarching goal of reducing emissions.
& Medical
1 2 3 4 5
Energy Efficiency
Waste Management
Sustainable Fuel Development
Non-thermal Use of Bitumen & Sustainable Materials Ag-tech and Agriculture
BY THE NUMBERS
27.4%
Information
Professional &
& Media
Other Services
TAKE TO THE SKIES
Cold Lake, three hours northeast of Edmonton, is home to 4 Wing Cold Lake, the busiest fighter base in Canada and part of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) ... and it’s about to get busier.
In 2020, the Government of Canada awarded a $9.2-million contract to Edmonton-based EllisDon Construction for the design of a new fighter jet facility for the base in Cold Lake. This new facility, as well as one in Quebec, will provide much needed infrastructure to house new fighter jets and is
expected to contribute over 900 jobs during the design and construction of both facilities. In January 2023, former Minister of
National Defence Anita Anand announced that Canada has entered into an agreement with the U.S. government, Lockheed Martin and engine maker Pratt & Whitney to purchase 88 F-35A Lightning II fighter jets as part of the Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP).
These fighter jets are being purchased for an estimated $19 billion and are intended to replace the RCAF’s aging CF-188 Hornets.