Report: Quantum Technologies in the Mountain West
A new research report from Denizens LLC examines where quantum sensing is headed globally, why Colorado and New Mexico are credibly positioned to compete, and how quantum sensing connects to the broader ASCEND mission of advancing sensing and computation for environmental decision-making.
New Report Highlights Mountain West's Strategic Position in Quantum Sensing
Innosphere and the NSF ASCEND Engine today released a new research brief from Denizens LLC titled Quantum Sensing in the Mountain West: Why It Matters for ASCEND and Regional Competitiveness. The report examines where quantum sensing is headed globally, why Colorado and New Mexico are credibly positioned to compete, and how quantum sensing connects to the broader NSF ASCEND Engine mission of advancing sensing and computation for environmental decision-making.
The report is based on a structured analysis of global quantum patent data spanning 2010 to the present.
Key findings include:
- The Mountain West has a genuine foothold in quantum sensing. With roughly 600 quantum inventions since 2010 and regional specialization nearly three times the national average, Colorado and New Mexico have built real depth — particularly in photonics, lasers, magnetometry, and quantum gyroscopes.
- Colorado and New Mexico play complementary roles. Colorado leads in research scale, entrepreneurial activity, and platform development. New Mexico contributes mission-oriented engineering, federal laboratory infrastructure, and real-world qualification environments. This division of labor is a strategic asset.
- Investment momentum is real but still concentrated. Mountain West quantum startups attracted $1.9 billion in growth capital between 2010 and 2025 — three-quarters of it in 2024 and 2025 alone. Integration, qualification, and repeatable deployment remain the real tests ahead.
- Global quantum competition is about system positioning, not invention volume. China leads in raw patent counts but innovates largely in isolation. The U.S. and its allies hold the advantage in multinational collaboration and control of the shared platforms — photonics, calibration, standards — that the rest of the quantum field depends on.
- Sensing progress is a leading indicator for the broader quantum stack. Because quantum sensing must perform under real-world conditions earlier than other quantum domains, advances here strengthen the foundations on which quantum computing and communications also rely.
- Quantum sensing belongs in the ASCEND technologies conversation, though environmental applications are still emerging. The underlying capabilities — measurement, instrumentation, optics, photonics — are increasingly relevant to environmental intelligence, infrastructure monitoring, and geospatial awareness as the technology matures.
The report was commissioned by Innosphere and supported by funding from Colorado's Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).
An executive summary of the report can be found here.
The full report is available at here.
