The universal need to be on time keeps everyone on the move, shaping society into a permanently well-oiled machine. Whether you find yourself glancing at a clock on the wall or checking your phone, the time you constantly see is the product of a meticulous system upheld by the world’s timekeepers. In the U.S., a new atomic clock called NIST-F4 has already proven to be one of the most precise timekeepers yet.
Assembled by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST-F4 is now up and running as of April 2025, as recently announced by the agency. In addition to synchronizing the clocks we see on our computers and smartphones, NIST-F4 sets the standard for an essential unit of time: the second.
