diff --git a/.github/CHANGELOG.md b/.github/CHANGELOG.md
index be57b94646..494f13638c 100644
--- a/.github/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/.github/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,8 +7,14 @@
   
 ### Breaking changes
 
+* Migrate `lightning.gpu` to CUDA 12.
+  [(#606)](https://github.com/PennyLaneAI/pennylane-lightning/pull/606)
+
 ### Improvements
 
+* Lower the overheads of Windows CI tests.
+  [(#610)](https://github.com/PennyLaneAI/pennylane-lightning/pull/610)
+
 * Decouple LightningQubit memory ownership from numpy and migrate it to Lightning-Qubit managed state-vector class.
   [(#601)](https://github.com/PennyLaneAI/pennylane-lightning/pull/601)
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/compat-check-latest-latest.yml b/.github/workflows/compat-check-latest-latest.yml
index 16a11078b1..63533e089d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/compat-check-latest-latest.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/compat-check-latest-latest.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
       pennylane-version: latest
   tests_lgpu_gpu:
     name: Lightning Compatibility test (tests_lgpu_gpu) - latest/latest
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cu11.yml
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cuda.yml
     with:
       lightning-version: latest
       pennylane-version: latest
diff --git a/.github/workflows/compat-check-latest-stable.yml b/.github/workflows/compat-check-latest-stable.yml
index d370a1240e..3e589283eb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/compat-check-latest-stable.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/compat-check-latest-stable.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
       pennylane-version: stable
   tests_lgpu_gpu:
     name: Lightning Compatibility test (tests_lgpu_gpu) - latest/stable
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cu11.yml
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cuda.yml
     with:
       lightning-version: latest
       pennylane-version: stable
diff --git a/.github/workflows/compat-check-release-release.yml b/.github/workflows/compat-check-release-release.yml
index 9c179708e9..52c6bea41c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/compat-check-release-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/compat-check-release-release.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
       pennylane-version: release
   tests_lgpu_gpu:
     name: Lightning Compatibility test (tests_lgpu_gpu) - release/release
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cu11.yml
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cuda.yml
     with:
       lightning-version: release
       pennylane-version: release
diff --git a/.github/workflows/compat-check-stable-latest.yml b/.github/workflows/compat-check-stable-latest.yml
index 65eceb4aed..f7e125ca69 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/compat-check-stable-latest.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/compat-check-stable-latest.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
       pennylane-version: latest
   tests_lgpu_gpu:
     name: Lightning Compatibility test (tests_lgpu_gpu) - stable/latest
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cu11.yml
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cuda.yml
     with:
       lightning-version: stable
       pennylane-version: latest
diff --git a/.github/workflows/compat-check-stable-stable.yml b/.github/workflows/compat-check-stable-stable.yml
index 4bcba8fcbb..8f33068c39 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/compat-check-stable-stable.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/compat-check-stable-stable.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
       pennylane-version: stable
   tests_lgpu_gpu:
     name: Lightning Compatibility test (tests_lgpu_gpu) - stable/stable
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cu11.yml
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cuda.yml
     with:
       lightning-version: stable
       pennylane-version: stable
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cu11.yml b/.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cuda.yml
similarity index 96%
rename from .github/workflows/tests_gpu_cu11.yml
rename to .github/workflows/tests_gpu_cuda.yml
index 12d4c26786..06741a1152 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cu11.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests_gpu_cuda.yml
@@ -39,25 +39,27 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         os: [ubuntu-22.04]
         pl_backend: ["lightning_gpu"]
+        cuda_version: ["12"]
 
     steps:
       - name: Validate GPU version and installed compiler
         run: |
           source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh
           module use /opt/modules
-          module load cuda/11.8
+          module load cuda/${{ matrix.cuda_version }}
           echo "${PATH}" >> $GITHUB_PATH
           echo "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           nvcc --version
           nvidia-smi
 
-  cpptestswithLGPU_cu11:
+  cpptestswithLGPU:
     if: ${{ !contains(fromJSON('["schedule", "workflow_dispatch"]'), github.event_name) }}
     needs: [builddeps]
     strategy:
       matrix:
         os: [ubuntu-22.04]
         pl_backend: ["lightning_gpu"]
+        cuda_version: ["12"]
 
     name: C++ tests (Lightning-GPU)
     runs-on:
@@ -70,7 +72,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh
           module use /opt/modules
-          module load cuda/11.8
+          module load cuda/${{ matrix.cuda_version }}
           echo "${PATH}" >> $GITHUB_PATH
           echo "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           nvcc --version
@@ -117,7 +119,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Install required packages
         run: |
-          python -m pip install ninja cmake custatevec-cu11
+          python -m pip install ninja cmake custatevec-cu${{ matrix.cuda_version }}
           sudo apt-get -y -q install liblapack-dev
 
       - name: Build and run unit tests
@@ -161,6 +163,7 @@ jobs:
         os: [ubuntu-22.04]
         pl_backend: ["lightning_gpu"]
         default_backend: ["lightning_qubit"]
+        cuda_version: ["12"]
 
     name: Python tests with LGPU
     runs-on:
@@ -173,7 +176,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh
           module use /opt/modules
-          module load cuda/11.8
+          module load cuda/${{ matrix.cuda_version }}
           echo "${PATH}" >> $GITHUB_PATH
           echo "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           nvcc --version
@@ -238,7 +241,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           cd main
           python -m pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
-          python -m pip install cmake custatevec-cu11 openfermionpyscf
+          python -m pip install cmake custatevec-cu${{ matrix.cuda_version }} openfermionpyscf
 
       - name: Checkout PennyLane for release build
         if: inputs.pennylane-version == 'release'
@@ -344,7 +347,7 @@ jobs:
           token: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}
 
   upload-to-codecov-linux-cpp:
-    needs: [cpptestswithLGPU_cu11]
+    needs: [cpptestswithLGPU]
     name: Upload coverage data to codecov
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests_linux_x86_mpi_gpu.yml b/.github/workflows/tests_linux_x86_mpi_gpu.yml
index 648e68bdb3..7af97b5046 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests_linux_x86_mpi_gpu.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests_linux_x86_mpi_gpu.yml
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ jobs:
       max-parallel: 1
       matrix:
         mpilib: ["mpich", "openmpi"]
+        cuda_version_maj: ["12"]
+        cuda_version_min: ["2"]
     timeout-minutes: 30
 
     steps:
@@ -92,28 +94,29 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install required packages
         run: |
           python -m pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
-          python -m pip install cmake custatevec-cu11
+          python -m pip install cmake custatevec-cu12
           sudo apt-get -y -q install liblapack-dev
 
-      - name: Validate GPU version and installed compiler
+      - name: Validate GPU version and installed compiler and modules
         run: |
-          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules && module load cuda/11.8
+          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules && module load cuda/${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}
           which -a nvcc
           nvcc --version
+          ls -R /opt/modules
 
       - name: Validate Multi-GPU packages
         run: |
-          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}
+          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}/cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}.${{ matrix.cuda_version_min }}
           echo 'Checking for ${{ matrix.mpilib }}'
           which -a mpirun
           mpirun --version
           which -a mpicxx
           mpicxx --version
-          module unload ${{ matrix.mpilib }}
+          module unload ${{ matrix.mpilib }}/cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}.${{ matrix.cuda_version_min }}
 
       - name: Build and run unit tests
         run: |
-          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}
+          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}/cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}.${{ matrix.cuda_version_min }}
           export CUQUANTUM_SDK=$(python -c "import site; print( f'{site.getsitepackages()[0]}/cuquantum/lib')")
           cmake . -BBuild \
             -DPL_BACKEND=lightning_gpu \
@@ -123,7 +126,7 @@ jobs:
             -DBUILD_TESTS=ON \
             -DENABLE_LAPACK=ON \
             -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=mpicxx \
-            -DCMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER="/usr/local/cuda/bin/nvcc" \
+            -DCMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER=$(which nvcc) \
             -DCMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES="86" \
             -DPython_EXECUTABLE:FILE="${{ steps.python_path.outputs.python }}" \
             -G Ninja
@@ -131,7 +134,7 @@ jobs:
           cd ./Build
           mkdir -p ./tests/results
           for file in *runner ; do ./$file --order lex --reporter junit --out ./tests/results/report_$file.xml; done;
-          for file in *runner_mpi ; do /opt/mpi/${{ matrix.mpilib }}/bin/mpirun -np 2 ./$file --order lex --reporter junit --out ./tests/results/report_$file.xml; done;
+          for file in *runner_mpi ; do mpirun -np 2 ./$file --order lex --reporter junit --out ./tests/results/report_$file.xml; done;
           lcov --directory . -b ../pennylane_lightning/src --capture --output-file coverage.info
           lcov --remove coverage.info '/usr/*' --output-file coverage.info
           mv coverage.info coverage-${{ github.job }}-lightning_gpu_${{ matrix.mpilib }}.info
@@ -171,6 +174,8 @@ jobs:
       max-parallel: 1
       matrix:
         mpilib: ["mpich", "openmpi"]
+        cuda_version_maj: ["12"]
+        cuda_version_min: ["2"]
     timeout-minutes: 30
 
     steps:
@@ -232,9 +237,9 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Install required packages
         run: |
-          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}
+          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}/cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}.${{ matrix.cuda_version_min }}
           python -m pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
-          python -m pip install custatevec-cu11 mpi4py openfermionpyscf
+          python -m pip install custatevec-cu${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }} mpi4py openfermionpyscf
           SKIP_COMPILATION=True PL_BACKEND=lightning_qubit python -m pip install -e . -vv
 
       - name: Checkout PennyLane for release build
@@ -256,25 +261,25 @@ jobs:
         env:
           CUQUANTUM_SDK: $(python -c "import site; print( f'{site.getsitepackages()[0]}/cuquantum/lib')")
         run: |
-          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}
-          CMAKE_ARGS="-DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=mpicc -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=mpicxx -DENABLE_MPI=ON -DCMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER=/usr/local/cuda/bin/nvcc -DCMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES=${{ env.CI_CUDA_ARCH }} -DPython_EXECUTABLE=${{ steps.python_path.outputs.python }}" \
+          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}/cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}.${{ matrix.cuda_version_min }}
+          CMAKE_ARGS="-DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=mpicc -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=mpicxx -DENABLE_MPI=ON -DCMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER=$(which nvcc) -DCMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES=${{ env.CI_CUDA_ARCH }} -DPython_EXECUTABLE=${{ steps.python_path.outputs.python }}" \
           PL_BACKEND=lightning_gpu python -m pip install -e . --verbose
 
       # There are issues running py-cov with MPI. A solution is to use coverage as reported
       # [here](https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest-cov/issues/237#issuecomment-544824228)
       - name: Run unit tests for MPI-enabled lightning.gpu device
         run: |
-          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}
-          PL_DEVICE=lightning.gpu /opt/mpi/${{ matrix.mpilib }}/bin/mpirun -np 2 \
+          source /etc/profile.d/modules.sh && module use /opt/modules/ && module load ${{ matrix.mpilib }}/cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}.${{ matrix.cuda_version_min }}
+          PL_DEVICE=lightning.gpu mpirun -np 2 \
           coverage run --rcfile=.coveragerc --source=pennylane_lightning -p -m mpi4py -m pytest ./mpitests --tb=native
           coverage combine
-          coverage xml -o coverage-${{ github.job }}-lightning_gpu_${{ matrix.mpilib }}-main.xml
+          coverage xml -o coverage-${{ github.job }}-lightning_gpu_${{ matrix.mpilib }}_cu${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}-main.xml
 
       - name: Upload code coverage results
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
         with:
           name: ubuntu-codecov-results-python
-          path: coverage-${{ github.job }}-lightning_gpu_${{ matrix.mpilib }}-*.xml
+          path: coverage-${{ github.job }}-lightning_gpu_${{ matrix.mpilib }}_cu${{ matrix.cuda_version_maj }}-*.xml
           if-no-files-found: error
 
       - name: Cleanup
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests_windows.yml b/.github/workflows/tests_windows.yml
index 1d56af45b5..395d4a8bdd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests_windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests_windows.yml
@@ -20,76 +20,6 @@ concurrency:
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
-  cpptests:
-    if: ${{ !contains(fromJSON('["schedule", "workflow_dispatch"]'), github.event_name) }}
-    timeout-minutes: 45
-    name: C++ tests (Windows)
-    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        os: [windows-latest]
-        pl_backend: ["lightning_qubit"]
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout PennyLane-Lightning
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
-
-      - name: Configure MSVC for amd64 # Use cl.exe as a default compiler
-        uses: ilammy/msvc-dev-cmd@v1
-        with:
-          arch: amd64
-
-      - name: Install lapack with vcpkg
-        run: |
-          git clone --quiet --recursive https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg.git
-          cd vcpkg
-          .\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
-          vcpkg install lapack
-
-      - name: Setup OpenCppCoverage and add to PATH
-        run: |
-          choco install OpenCppCoverage -y
-          echo "C:\Program Files\OpenCppCoverage" >> $env:GITHUB_PATH
-
-      - name: Build and run unit tests for code coverage
-        run: |
-            cmake -BBuild `
-              -DBUILD_TESTS=ON `
-              -DENABLE_OPENMP=OFF `
-              -DENABLE_PYTHON=OFF `
-              -DENABLE_GATE_DISPATCHER=OFF `
-              -DPL_BACKEND=${{ matrix.pl_backend }} `
-              -DENABLE_LAPACK=ON `
-              -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=D:/a/pennylane-lightning/pennylane-lightning/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake `
-              -DENABLE_WARNINGS=OFF
-            cmake --build .\Build --config Debug
-            mkdir -p .\Build\tests\results
-            $test_bins = Get-ChildItem -Include *.exe -Recurse -Path ./Build/Debug
-            foreach ($file in $test_bins)
-            {
-              $filename = $file.ToString() -replace '.{4}$'
-              $filename = $filename.Substring($filename.LastIndexOf("\")+1)
-              $test_call = $file.ToString() + " --order lex --reporter junit --out .\Build\tests\results\report_" + $filename + ".xml"
-              Invoke-Expression $test_call
-              $cov_call = "OpenCppCoverage --sources pennylane_lightning\core\src --export_type cobertura:coverage.xml " + $file.ToString()
-              Invoke-Expression $cov_call
-            }
-            Move-Item -Path .\coverage.xml -Destination .\coverage-${{ github.job }}-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}.xml
-
-      - name: Upload test results
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        if: always()
-        with:
-          name: windows-test-report-${{ github.job }}-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}
-          path: .\Build\tests\results\
-          if-no-files-found: error
-          
-      - name: Upload coverage results
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: windows-coverage-report
-          path: .\coverage-${{ github.job }}-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}.xml
-          if-no-files-found: error
-
   win-set-matrix-x86:
     name: Set builder matrix
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -110,7 +40,7 @@ jobs:
       exec_model: ${{ steps.exec_model.outputs.exec_model }}
       kokkos_version: ${{ steps.kokkos_version.outputs.kokkos_version }}
 
-  build_dependencies:
+  build_dependencies_kokkos:
     needs: [win-set-matrix-x86]
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
@@ -125,7 +55,7 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Cache installation directories
         id: kokkos-cache
-        uses: actions/cache@v3
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
           path: D:\a\install_dir\${{ matrix.exec_model }}
           key: ${{ matrix.os }}-kokkos${{ matrix.kokkos_version }}-${{ matrix.exec_model }}-Debug
@@ -163,9 +93,111 @@ jobs:
           cmake --build ./Build --config Debug --verbose
           cmake --install ./Build --config Debug --verbose
 
+  build_dependencies_vcpkg:
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        os: [windows-latest]
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    name: vcpkg dependencies
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Cache installation directories
+        id: vcpkg-cache
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: D:\a\install_dir\vcpkg
+          key: ${{ matrix.os }}-vcpkg
+
+      - name: Clone vcpkg
+        if: steps.vcpkg-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p D:\a\install_dir
+          cd D:\a\install_dir\
+          git clone --quiet --recursive https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg.git
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        if: steps.vcpkg-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install cmake build ninja
+
+      - name: Build Lapack library
+        if: steps.vcpkg-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        run: |
+          cd D:\a\install_dir\vcpkg
+          .\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
+          vcpkg install lapack
+
+  cpptests:
+    needs: [build_dependencies_vcpkg]
+    if: ${{ !contains(fromJSON('["schedule", "workflow_dispatch"]'), github.event_name) }}
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    name: C++ tests (Windows)
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        os: [windows-latest]
+        pl_backend: ["lightning_qubit"]
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout PennyLane-Lightning
+        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - name: Restoring cached vcpkg
+        id: vcpkg-cache
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: D:\a\install_dir\vcpkg
+          key: ${{ matrix.os }}-vcpkg
+
+      - name: Setup OpenCppCoverage and add to PATH
+        run: |
+          choco install OpenCppCoverage -y
+          echo "C:\Program Files\OpenCppCoverage" >> $env:GITHUB_PATH
+
+      - name: Build and run unit tests for code coverage
+        run: |
+            cmake -BBuild `
+              -DBUILD_TESTS=ON `
+              -DENABLE_OPENMP=OFF `
+              -DENABLE_PYTHON=OFF `
+              -DENABLE_GATE_DISPATCHER=OFF `
+              -DPL_BACKEND=${{ matrix.pl_backend }} `
+              -DENABLE_LAPACK=ON `
+              -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=D:\a\install_dir\vcpkg\scripts\buildsystems\vcpkg.cmake `
+              -DENABLE_WARNINGS=OFF
+            cmake --build .\Build --config RelWithDebInfo
+            mkdir -p .\Build\tests\results
+            $test_bins = Get-ChildItem -Include *.exe -Recurse -Path ./Build/RelWithDebInfo
+            foreach ($file in $test_bins)
+            {
+              $filename = $file.ToString() -replace '.{4}$'
+              $filename = $filename.Substring($filename.LastIndexOf("\")+1)
+              $test_call = $file.ToString() + " --order lex --reporter junit --out .\Build\tests\results\report_" + $filename + ".xml"
+              Invoke-Expression $test_call
+              $cov_call = "OpenCppCoverage --sources pennylane_lightning\core\src --excluded_modules D:\a\install_dir\* --excluded_modules C:\Windows\System32\* --export_type cobertura:coverage.xml " + $file.ToString()
+              Invoke-Expression $cov_call
+            }
+            Move-Item -Path .\coverage.xml -Destination .\coverage-${{ github.job }}-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}.xml
+
+      - name: Upload test results
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        if: always()
+        with:
+          name: windows-test-report-${{ github.job }}-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}
+          path: .\Build\tests\results\
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          
+      - name: Upload coverage results
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: windows-coverage-report
+          path: .\coverage-${{ github.job }}-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}.xml
+          if-no-files-found: error
+
   cpptestswithkokkos:
     if: ${{ !contains(fromJSON('["schedule", "workflow_dispatch"]'), github.event_name) }}
-    needs: [build_dependencies, win-set-matrix-x86]
+    needs: [build_dependencies_kokkos, build_dependencies_vcpkg, win-set-matrix-x86]
     strategy:
       matrix:
         os: [windows-latest]
@@ -180,32 +212,27 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Restoring cached Kokkos
         id: kokkos-cache
-        uses: actions/cache@v3
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
           path: D:\a\install_dir\${{ matrix.exec_model }}
           key: ${{ matrix.os }}-kokkos${{ matrix.kokkos_version }}-${{ matrix.exec_model }}-Debug
+
+      - name: Restoring cached vcpkg
+        id: vcpkg-cache
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: D:\a\install_dir\vcpkg
+          key: ${{ matrix.os }}-vcpkg
       
       - name: Checkout PennyLane-Lightning
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
-      - name: Copy cached libraries
+      - name: Copy cached Kokkos libraries
         if: steps.kokkos-cache.outputs.cache-hit == 'true'
         run: |
           Copy-Item -Path "D:\a\install_dir\${{ matrix.exec_model }}\" `
                     -Destination "D:\a\pennylane-lightning\pennylane-lightning\Kokkos" -Recurse -Force
 
-      - name: Configure MSVC for amd64 # Use cl.exe as a default compiler
-        uses: ilammy/msvc-dev-cmd@v1
-        with:
-          arch: amd64
-      
-      - name: Install lapack with vcpkg
-        run: |
-          git clone --quiet --recursive https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg.git
-          cd vcpkg
-          .\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
-          vcpkg install lapack
-
       - name: Enable long paths
         run: |
           powershell.exe New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" -Name "LongPathsEnabled" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force
@@ -224,7 +251,7 @@ jobs:
               -DENABLE_PYTHON=OFF `
               -DENABLE_GATE_DISPATCHER=OFF `
               -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=D:\a\pennylane-lightning\pennylane-lightning\Kokkos `
-              -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=D:/a/pennylane-lightning/pennylane-lightning/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake `
+              -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=D:\a\install_dir\vcpkg\scripts\buildsystems\vcpkg.cmake `
               -DENABLE_OPENMP=OFF `
               -DPL_BACKEND=${{ matrix.pl_backend }} `
               -DENABLE_LAPACK=ON `
@@ -238,7 +265,7 @@ jobs:
               $filename = $filename.Substring($filename.LastIndexOf("\")+1)
               $test_call = $file.ToString() + " --order lex --reporter junit --out .\Build\tests\results\report_" + $filename + ".xml"
               Invoke-Expression $test_call
-              $cov_call = "OpenCppCoverage --sources pennylane_lightning\core\src --export_type cobertura:coverage.xml " + $file.ToString()
+              $cov_call = "OpenCppCoverage --sources pennylane_lightning\core\src --excluded_modules D:\a\install_dir\* --excluded_modules C:\Windows\System32\* --export_type cobertura:coverage.xml " + $file.ToString()
               Invoke-Expression $cov_call
             }
             Move-Item -Path .\coverage.xml -Destination .\coverage-${{ github.job }}-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}.xml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/wheel_linux_x86_64_cu11.yml b/.github/workflows/wheel_linux_x86_64_cuda.yml
similarity index 76%
rename from .github/workflows/wheel_linux_x86_64_cu11.yml
rename to .github/workflows/wheel_linux_x86_64_cuda.yml
index 33a5d6f8b3..27a1841a4e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/wheel_linux_x86_64_cu11.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/wheel_linux_x86_64_cuda.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-name: Wheel::Linux::x86_64::CUDA-11
+name: Wheel::Linux::x86_64::CUDA
 
 # **What it does**: Builds python wheels for Linux (ubuntu-latest) architecture x86_64 and store it as artifacts.
 #                   Python versions: 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12.
@@ -6,9 +6,7 @@ name: Wheel::Linux::x86_64::CUDA-11
 # **Who does it impact**: Wheels to be uploaded to PyPI.
 
 env:
-  GCC_VERSION: 11
-  CUDA_VERSION_MAJOR: 11
-  CUDA_VERSION_MINOR: 5
+  GCC_VERSION: "11"
 
 on:
   pull_request:
@@ -19,7 +17,7 @@ on:
     types: [published]
 
 concurrency:
-  group: wheel_linux_x86_64_cu11-${{ github.ref }}
+  group: wheel_linux_x86_64_cu12-${{ github.ref }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
@@ -37,15 +35,15 @@ jobs:
         os: [ubuntu-latest]
         arch: [x86_64]
         pl_backend: ["lightning_gpu"]
+        cuda_version: ["12"]
         cibw_build: ${{ fromJson(needs.set_wheel_build_matrix.outputs.python_version) }}
         container_img: ["quay.io/pypa/manylinux2014_x86_64"]
     timeout-minutes: 30
-    name: ${{ matrix.os }}::${{ matrix.arch }} - ${{ matrix.pl_backend }} (Python ${{ fromJson('{ "cp39-*":"3.9","cp310-*":"3.10","cp311-*":"3.11","cp312-*":"3.12" }')[matrix.cibw_build] }})
+    name: ${{ matrix.os }}::${{ matrix.arch }} - ${{ matrix.pl_backend }} CUDA ${{ matrix.cuda_version }} (Python ${{ fromJson('{ "cp39-*":"3.9","cp310-*":"3.10","cp311-*":"3.11","cp312-*":"3.12" }')[matrix.cibw_build] }})
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     container: ${{ matrix.container_img }}
 
     steps:
-
       - name: Checkout PennyLane-Lightning
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
@@ -67,24 +65,25 @@ jobs:
 
           CIBW_SKIP: "*-musllinux*"
 
-          CIBW_CONFIG_SETTINGS: --global-option=build_ext --global-option=--define="CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=$(which g++-11);CMAKE_C_COMPILER=$(which gcc-11);LIGHTNING_RELEASE_TAG=master"
+          CIBW_CONFIG_SETTINGS: --global-option=build_ext --global-option=--define="CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=$(which g++);CMAKE_C_COMPILER=$(which gcc);LIGHTNING_RELEASE_TAG=master"
 
           # Python build settings
           CIBW_BEFORE_BUILD: |
             cat /etc/yum.conf | sed "s/\[main\]/\[main\]\ntimeout=5/g" > /etc/yum.conf
-            python -m pip install ninja cmake~=3.24.3 auditwheel custatevec-cu11
+            python -m pip install ninja cmake~=3.24.3 auditwheel custatevec-cu${{ matrix.cuda_version }}
             yum clean all -y
             yum install centos-release-scl-rh -y
             yum install devtoolset-11-gcc-c++ -y
             source /opt/rh/devtoolset-11/enable -y
             yum-config-manager --add-repo https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/rhel7/x86_64/cuda-rhel7.repo -y
-            yum -y install cuda-11-5 git openssh wget
+            yum -y install cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version }}-0 git openssh wget
 
           # ensure nvcc is available
           CIBW_ENVIRONMENT: |
-            PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/cuda/bin \
-            LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/cuda/lib64 \
-            PL_BACKEND="${{ matrix.pl_backend }}"
+            PATH=/opt/rh/devtoolset-11/root/usr/bin:$PATH:/usr/local/cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version }}/bin \
+            LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/rh/devtoolset-11/root/usr/lib64:/opt/rh/devtoolset-11/root/usr/lib:/opt/rh/devtoolset-11/root/usr/lib64/dyninst:/opt/rh/devtoolset-11/root/usr/lib/dyninst:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/cuda-${{ matrix.cuda_version }}/lib64 \
+            PL_BACKEND="${{ matrix.pl_backend }}" \
+            PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/opt/rh/devtoolset-11/root/usr/lib64/pkgconfig:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH
 
           CIBW_REPAIR_WHEEL_COMMAND_LINUX: "./bin/auditwheel repair -w {dest_dir} {wheel}"
 
@@ -108,7 +107,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
         if: ${{ github.event_name == 'release' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || steps.rc_build.outputs.match != ''}}
         with:
-          name: ${{ runner.os }}-wheels-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}-${{ matrix.arch }}.zip
+          name: ${{ runner.os }}-wheels-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}-${{ matrix.arch }}-cu${{ matrix.cuda_version }}
           path: ./wheelhouse/*.whl
 
   upload-pypi:
@@ -122,7 +121,7 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
         with:
-          name: Linux-wheels-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}-${{ matrix.arch }}.zip
+          name:  ${{ runner.os }}-wheels-${{ matrix.pl_backend }}-${{ matrix.arch }}-cu${{ matrix.cuda_version }}
           path: dist
 
       - name: Upload wheels to PyPI
diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index f82b4282a6..74090c8266 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ On MacOS, we recommend using the latest version of ``clang++`` and ``libomp``:
 
     $ brew install llvm libomp
 
-The Lightning-GPU backend has several dependencies (e.g. ``CUDA``, ``custatevec-cu11``, etc.), and hence we recommend referring to Lightning-GPU installation section.
+The Lightning-GPU backend has several dependencies (e.g. ``CUDA``, ``custatevec-cu12``, etc.), and hence we recommend referring to Lightning-GPU installation section.
 Similarly, for Lightning-Kokkos it is recommended to configure and install Kokkos independently as prescribed in the Lightning-Kokkos installation section.
 
 Development installation
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ Lightning-GPU can be installed using ``pip``:
 
     pip install pennylane-lightning[gpu]
 
-Lightning-GPU requires the `cuQuantum SDK <https://developer.nvidia.com/cuquantum-sdk>`_ (only the `cuStateVec <https://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/cuquantum/latest/custatevec/index.html>`_ library is required).
+Lightning-GPU requires CUDA 12 and the `cuQuantum SDK <https://developer.nvidia.com/cuquantum-sdk>`_ (only the `cuStateVec <https://docs.nvidia.com/cuda/cuquantum/latest/custatevec/index.html>`_ library is required).
 The SDK may be installed within the Python environment ``site-packages`` directory using ``pip`` or ``conda`` or the SDK library path appended to the ``LD_LIBRARY_PATH`` environment variable.
 Please see the `cuQuantum SDK`_ install guide for more information.
 
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ Then the `cuStateVec`_ library can be installed and set a ``CUQUANTUM_SDK`` envi
 
 .. code-block:: console
 
-    python -m pip install wheel custatevec-cu11
+    python -m pip install wheel custatevec-cu12
     export CUQUANTUM_SDK=$(python -c "import site; print( f'{site.getsitepackages()[0]}/cuquantum/lib')")
 
 The Lightning-GPU can then be installed with ``pip``:
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ To simplify the build, we recommend using the containerized build process descri
 Install Lightning-GPU with MPI
 ==============================
 
-Building Lightning-GPU with MPI also requires the ``NVIDIA cuQuantum SDK`` (currently supported version: `custatevec-cu11 <https://pypi.org/project/cuquantum-cu11/>`_), ``mpi4py`` and ``CUDA-aware MPI`` (Message Passing Interface).
+Building Lightning-GPU with MPI also requires the ``NVIDIA cuQuantum SDK`` (currently supported version: `custatevec-cu12 <https://pypi.org/project/cuquantum-cu12/>`_), ``mpi4py`` and ``CUDA-aware MPI`` (Message Passing Interface).
 ``CUDA-aware MPI`` allows data exchange between GPU memory spaces of different nodes without the need for CPU-mediated transfers.
 Both the ``MPICH`` and ``OpenMPI`` libraries are supported, provided they are compiled with CUDA support.
 The path to ``libmpi.so`` should be found in ``LD_LIBRARY_PATH``.
diff --git a/bin/auditwheel b/bin/auditwheel
index e7142fa4ab..84de9fa7e1 100755
--- a/bin/auditwheel
+++ b/bin/auditwheel
@@ -5,21 +5,35 @@
 import sys
 
 from auditwheel.main import main
-from auditwheel.policy import _POLICIES as POLICIES
+from auditwheel.policy import WheelPolicies as WP
 
 # Do not include licensed dynamic libraries
 libs = [
     "libcudart.so.11.0",
+    "libcudart.so.12.0",
     "libcublasLt.so.11",
+    "libcublasLt.so.12",
     "libcublas.so.11",
+    "libcublas.so.12",
     "libcusparse.so.11",
+    "libcusparse.so.12",
     "libcustatevec.so.1",
 ]
 
 print(f"Excluding {libs}")
 
-for p in POLICIES:
-    p["lib_whitelist"].extend(libs)
+for arch in [
+    "manylinux2014_x86_64",
+    "manylinux_2_28_x86_64",
+    "manylinux2014_aarch64",
+    "manylinux_2_28_aarch64",
+    "manylinux2014_ppc64le",
+    "manylinux_2_28_ppc64le",
+]:
+    wheel_policy = WP()
+    arch_pol = wheel_policy.get_policy_by_name(arch)
+    if arch_pol:
+        arch_pol["lib_whitelist"].extend(libs)
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/doc/requirements.txt b/doc/requirements.txt
index ff26c3ded6..4887af0718 100644
--- a/doc/requirements.txt
+++ b/doc/requirements.txt
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ sphinxcontrib-qthelp==1.0.3
 sphinxcontrib-htmlhelp==2.0.1
 sphinxcontrib-serializinghtml==1.1.5
 pennylane-sphinx-theme
-custatevec-cu11
+custatevec-cu12
 wheel
 sphinxext-opengraph
 matplotlib
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pennylane_lightning/core/_version.py b/pennylane_lightning/core/_version.py
index 2501bfbac7..87a919ae46 100644
--- a/pennylane_lightning/core/_version.py
+++ b/pennylane_lightning/core/_version.py
@@ -16,4 +16,4 @@
    Version number (major.minor.patch[-label])
 """
 
-__version__ = "0.35.0-dev11"
+__version__ = "0.35.0-dev12"
diff --git a/pennylane_lightning/lightning_gpu/lightning_gpu.py b/pennylane_lightning/lightning_gpu/lightning_gpu.py
index 349e821959..fba2612207 100644
--- a/pennylane_lightning/lightning_gpu/lightning_gpu.py
+++ b/pennylane_lightning/lightning_gpu/lightning_gpu.py
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
         "cuquantum"
     ):  # pragma: no cover
         raise ImportError(
-            'custatevec libraries not found. Please pip install appropriate custatevec in a virtual environment and then add its path to the "LD_LIBRARY_PATH" environment variable.'
+            "custatevec libraries not found. Please pip install the appropriate custatevec library in a virtual environment."
         )
     if not DevPool.getTotalDevices():  # pragma: no cover
         raise ValueError("No supported CUDA-capable device found")
diff --git a/requirements-dev.txt b/requirements-dev.txt
index 10e01a32cc..94456d4e0f 100644
--- a/requirements-dev.txt
+++ b/requirements-dev.txt
@@ -12,5 +12,5 @@ black==23.7.0
 clang-tidy~=16.0
 clang-format~=16.0
 cmake
-custatevec-cu11
+custatevec-cu12
 pylint
diff --git a/tests/test_adjoint_jacobian.py b/tests/test_adjoint_jacobian.py
index 86c0a9e246..422ad06eef 100644
--- a/tests/test_adjoint_jacobian.py
+++ b/tests/test_adjoint_jacobian.py
@@ -727,6 +727,7 @@ def test_controlled_jacobian(self, par, n_qubits, control_value, operation, tol)
         np.random.seed(1337)
         init_state = np.random.rand(2**n_qubits) + 1.0j * np.random.rand(2**n_qubits)
         init_state /= np.sqrt(np.dot(np.conj(init_state), init_state))
+        init_state = np.array(init_state, requires_grad=False)
 
         if operation.num_wires > n_qubits:
             return