Quantum computing, which holds the promise of nearly unlimited processing power, secure communications and the ability to decode encrypted conversations by terrorists and others, is a significant step closer to becoming a reality today with new research published by a team of UCLA scientists in the journal Nature. The team succeeded in flipping a single electron spin upside down in an ordinary commercial transistor chip, and detected that the current changes when the electron flips.
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A July meeting in San Francisco could mark an historic decision point for the IEEE group trying to chart the future of Ethernet. The group is expected to propose an effort that will set standards both for 40 and 100 Gbit/second versions of the technology to meet the diverging needs of computer and communication companies.

One camp of companies including Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and others is standing firm that computers are best served by a 40 Gbit/s standard. A separate camp including Cisco Systems and others believe core networking equipment needs an 100 Gbit/s standard. Read the rest of this entry »