Reading stuff like this makes some part of me really happy- I'll probably never even get into this part of the industry, but reading about breakthroughs like this always just feel really amazing
I worked at Intel for 3 years and I felt similarly. I was in a group writing software to help the R&D physicists figure out the kinks of the low-level devices (next-gen transistors) way before going to silicon. The day-to-day work was relatively mundane, but talking to these people about their problems and needs made me feel like I was doing my little bit to move humankind forward.