Flip a coin. Heads or tails, right? Sure, once we see how the coin lands. But while the coin is still spinning in the air, it’s neither heads nor tails. It’s some probability of both.

This gray area is the simplified foundation of quantum computing.

Digital computers have been making it easier for us to process information for decades. But quantum computers are poised to take computing to a whole new level. Quantum computers represent a completely new approach to computing. They have the potential to solve very complex statistical problems that are beyond the limits of today’s computers. Quantum computing has so much promise and momentum that McKinsey has identified it as one of the next big trends in tech. Quantum computing alone—just one of three main areas of emerging quantum technology—could account for nearly $1.3 trillion in value by 2035. Investors of all kinds are perking up their ears—and opening up their wallets: government investors alone have pledged $34 billion in investments. In 2022, the US government announced $1.8 billion in funding, bringing its total investment to $3.7 billion.