The need for speed.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: Up front: news, trends & analysis

Japan's NEC Corp. and a public research body have taken a step closer to ultra-fast quantum computing. Quantum computers are expected to far surpass the capabilities of today's most powerful supercomputers, particularly in areas such as data mining.

NEC and Japanese government-funded research group Riken said they had successfully created a state of quantum entanglement between two solid-state qubits for the first time. A qubit is the smallest unit of quantum data. Quantum entanglement is the entwining of two or more particles without physical contact. However, an NEC spokesperson said quantum computers were unlikely to be available for commercial use before 2020.

Internet researchers have hit a new speed record as well. Scientists at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center used fiber-optic cables to transfer 6.7 gigabytes of data--the equivalent of two DVD movies--across 6,800 miles...