Québec must focus on microelectronics and photonics to strengthen its global competitiveness.
Québec’s technology industries are at a strategic turning point. On September 17, 2025, PRIMA Québec published a landmark study titled “Developing Secure Microelectronic and Photonic Value Chains in Quebec”. Led by the SIA/Yole Group consortium, the analysis highlights the specific niches where the province can establish itself as a global leader while leveraging its critical mineral and material resources.
Sponsored by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE), the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF), the Technum Québec innovation zone, along with the Optonique and Industrie des systèmes électroniques du Québec (ISEQ) centres of excellence, the study represents a significant milestone for Québec’s industrial and scientific strategy. It provides a detailed portrait of the Québec and international ecosystems, offering concrete avenues where businesses and institutions can strengthen their competitiveness in an ever-changing global context.
A comprehensive strategic overview
The study provides a detailed analysis of the entire microelectronic and photonic value chain, two sectors that remain essential for strategic industries like energy, aerospace, electric vehicles, defence, and life sciences. More than 85 minerals and materials used in these sectors were surveyed and evaluated. Among them, 15 were identified as either critical or strategic for Québec’s interests.
Each market segment was analysed according to four criteria: technological overview, market prospects, the stakeholders involved, and Québec’s positioning. Critical minerals were also analysed with regard to their geopolitical context, export restrictions, economic vulnerabilities, as well as their local potential in terms of production, refining, and recycling. The rigorous methodology was based on a study that includes over 150 publications and more than 20 interviews with industrial and institutional experts, providing a comprehensive overview of the opportunities and challenges faced by the province.
Seven themes to guide the future
The analysis identified seven key themes to guide the province’s industrial and scientific strategy. These levers can stimulate innovation and strengthen competitiveness while ensuring sustainable development for the sectors involved.
The first theme involves critical mineral resources, whose availability and security are crucial when maintaining local value chains. Québec enjoys privileged access to certain strategic minerals; according to the study, this advantage should be optimised through proactive planning and targeted investments.
The second theme focuses on value chain integration and calls for greater collaboration between researchers, manufacturers, and user industries in an effort to secure local production and improve resilience to global disruptions.
The third theme targets collaborative research and development. Partnerships between universities, research centres, and businesses can be used to accelerate innovation while providing internationally competitive solutions.
The fourth theme centres around the recovery of mining residues, including the use of the “urban mines” that stem from electronic and industrial waste. This approach belongs to a circular economy vision that can reduce the province’s dependence on imports while limiting environmental impacts.
The fifth theme involves industrial upscaling. Several emerging technologies in microelectronics and photonics appear promising, but large-scale production remains a challenge. Industrial planning, as well as investments in the appropriate infrastructures, is essential when transforming innovation into commercial success.
The sixth theme calls for the creation of national and international strategic alliances. In a global context marked by protectionism and the concentration of critical minerals in specific countries, alliances can help secure resources and broaden Québec’s access to international markets.
Finally, the seventh theme involves the development of a culture that promotes synergy between sectors. Encouraging collaboration between industry and science leads to a more resilient and dynamic ecosystem that can respond quickly to changes in global markets.
An international context that demands action
According to the report, the current international context requires a new perspective regarding supply chains and industrial strategies. Growing protectionism and the control of critical minerals and materials by certain countries pose significant risks to strategic industries, but they also provide business opportunities for regions that can secure and integrate their production capabilities at the local level.
In this context, microelectronics and photonics can play a central role in many industrial sectors. Digital and energy-related technologies rely on specific materials and complex processes that require scientific expertise, industrial innovation, and vertical integration. Québec is home to these assets, with its innovative industrial fabric, recognised expertise, and privileged access to certain strategic resources.
A strategy to stimulate innovation and create business opportunities
“Québec has everything it needs to play a significant role in the global energy and digital transition,” says Marie-Pierre Ippersiel, President and CEO at PRIMA Québec. “By highlighting the potential behind our microelectronic and photonic sectors, along with our strategic minerals and materials, the study identifies niches that can stimulate innovation, create business opportunities, and position our companies and researchers as leaders on the international stage.”
This vision relies upon collaboration between the industrial and scientific stakeholders involved, as well as our ability to secure resources and promote local innovations. Here, the report points to ‘Ambition 2035,’ a concrete roadmap that can help Québec consolidate its position in global markets while developing sustainable and competitive solutions.
PRIMA Québec, a catalyst for collaborative innovation
PRIMA Québec plays a central role in facilitating and supporting the advanced materials ecosystem. By promoting collaborative innovation, the organisation brings together researchers, businesses, and public partners in an effort to stimulate Québec’s economic development. Through government and private sector support, PRIMA Québec has become a driving force behind strategic alliances, technological experimentation, and the dissemination of expertise.
Not only does this approach help Québec companies strengthen their competitiveness, but it also allows them to play an active role in global technological transformations. The evolving microelectronics and photonics sector provides fertile ground for innovation, value creation, and the consolidation of a circular economy that leverages local resources while minimising environmental impacts.
Strengthening our global positioning
The study highlights Québec’s potential to become a leader in emerging microelectronics and photonics technologies. By mobilising local resources, talent, and infrastructures, the province can further secure and integrate its value chains while meeting the global need for strategic technologies.
The development of critical minerals, collaborative R&D investments, and the strengthening of strategic alliances remain essential when transforming technological potential into economic success. Public and private stakeholders must therefore seize these opportunities to stimulate innovation while strengthening Québec’s role on the international stage.
By combining scientific expertise, industrial innovation, and responsible supply strategies, Québec will position itself as a model of sustainable and competitive technological development that can respond to global challenges while promoting local prosperity.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 25th edition of our quarterly publication.
