First Alberta built the research; And now it’s building the industry.

But there is a good chance the technology helping power one was designed, built and shipped from Alberta.

Our province is building expertise in quantum science. Today, a growing number of companies are turning research into products. Companies such as Edmonton-based Zero Point Cryogenics (ZPC) demonstrate that Alberta’s quantum advantage extends to the marketplace.

Founded by University of Alberta low-temperature physicist and Chief Technology Officer Dr. John P. Davis, ZPC is helping put Alberta on the global quantum map. Led by co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Chris Cassin and Chief Commercialization Officer Elise Usunier, the company is one of only six organizations in the world, and the only company in Canada, that commercially manufactures dilution refrigerators - the specialized systems quantum computers need to operate at temperatures colder than outer space.

The company shipped its first dilution refrigerator to the National Research Council of Canada in 2023; by 2025 they saw an increase in units shipped globally and are projected to triple these

Zero Point Cryogenics team

numbers in 2026. The team has grown from their first hire in 2022 to over 50 people today, with Chris Cassin projecting more growth within the next 12 to 18 months, with support from Alberta Innovates, PrairiesCan and the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program administered by the Government of Canada. 

The company's growth continued in 2026 with the opening of its first international Innovation and Service Hub in Chicago, bringing ZPC closer to customers across the United States while maintaining its headquarters and manufacturing operations in Alberta.

ZPC's success story began long before the company was incorporated. Over several years, Alberta Innovates provided nearly $900,000 in funding to Dr. John P. Davis and his research team at the University of Alberta to advance the refrigeration and thermometry technologies that would later become the foundation of ZPC's compact dilution refrigerator products. That early investment helped transform promising quantum research into a commercially viable technology platform, laying the groundwork for the company's future growth.

"Zero Point Cryogenics received strategic advisory and funding support from Alberta Innovates along its technology lifecycle," says Lorena Forster, the Alberta Innovates Technology Development Advisor who worked directly with the company. "From the early days of developing the first prototype, we supported ZPC at key stages of its commercialization journey, including hiring their first team members in marketing and sales, protecting intellectual property, and expanding to international markets. That support helped the company accelerate its growth."

This support reflected a broader effort to strengthen Alberta's innovation economy by helping high-potential companies protect intellectual property, access new markets and scale their technologies. These objectives are central to both Alberta Innovates' 2026-2029 Business Plan and the Government of Alberta's Technology and Innovation Strategy 2.0 (ATIS 2.0).

Today, ZPC is beginning its transition into a larger Edmonton manufacturing facility, while raising its first investment round and attracting growing interest from Canada’s defence sector. And it’s doing this while continuing to manufacture at costs well below those of its competitors in the United States, United Kingdom, and Netherlands.

“Zero Point Cryogenics started innovating in a lab at the University of Alberta. Today we’re shipping Canadian-built systems to customers on three continents, and we’re hiring and upskilling Alberta tradespeople into a sector that didn’t exist five years ago,” says Chris Cassin.

The company’s growth reflects a broader opportunity emerging across Alberta.

For years, Alberta invested in building quantum expertise. Now, companies like ZPC are turning that expertise into economic impact. From a university lab in Edmonton to serving clients on three continents, ZPC demonstrates what's possible when Alberta research, talent and innovation come together.