The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that a fourth Canadian-founded quantum computing start-up has secured a 10-figure valuation. The Globe's Sean Silcoff writes that Nord Quantique Inc. quietly raised $30-million in March from Fidelity in a deal valuing the Sherbrooke technology developer at $1.4-billion (all figures U.S.). The company, led by physicist Julien Camirand Lemyre, follows D-Wave, Xanadu and Photonic in achieving billion-dollar-plus valuations. Canada is an early leader in a global race to develop quantum computers, which derive their power by tapping into the peculiar properties of subatomic particles. The machines are expected to some day solve tasks out of reach for the world's most advanced computers, opening new applications in financial forecasting, machine learning and drug and material discovery. No one has yet produced a machine that can do that. But 11 companies, including Nord Quantique, Xanadu and Photonic, have advanced to the second stage of a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, competition challenging developers to show they can build a commercial-grade quantum computer by 2033. Those who complete the program could receive $300-million from DARPA.