As Canada undergoes a major transformation in its national defence strategy, Queen’s University researcher Dr. Ryan Grant is driving innovation through cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) — technologies that are crucial for strengthening cybersecurity, securing national data infrastructure, and supporting long-term technological resilience.
By developing next-generation supercomputing infrastructure and AI frameworks, Dr. Grant and his team are creating the digital backbone that supports Canada’s defence priorities. His work provides the sovereign computing capacity needed to safeguard classified research, strengthen secure communications, and ensure that Canada’s most critical digital operations remain under national control. The supercomputer would support all Canadian universities, ensuring broad national access to advanced research capacity while reinforcing Canada’s global competitiveness. Collaboration between academia, industry, and government on these efforts is essential and will strengthen defence preparedness while extending the benefits of advanced AI and supercomputing to Canada’s economy and society.
Queen’s is also expanding Canada’s academic strength in AI and HPC by helping to train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, computer engineers, and defence technology leaders. These efforts are creating a cyber-ready, innovation-focused talent pipeline prepared to meet current and future national security challenges.
Beyond the defence sector, the technological advancements developed through this research also support applications in health care, smart infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and other critical industries, helping build a robust national research ecosystem that advances both security and innovation.
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