In a laboratory in Broomfield, Colorado, 98 atoms are suspended in midair, held in place by electric fields and cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero.

Quick ReadTrump signed two executive orders targeting quantum deployment by 2028 and encryption threats, backed by $2 billion in federal funding.IBM's $69 billion in annual revenue makes it the lowest-risk quantum play,

Advances in recent years suggest we are entering the Quantum Frontier Era. National security, science, economic competitiveness, and cybersecurity will all feel the impact.

The city is betting on a promising—but commercially unproven—technology.