At a research lab in California, Google’s quantum computer needed just over 3 minutes to perform a mathematical calculation that would take a supercomputer at least 10,000 years, the company said in a paper in the science journal Nature.

Scientists likened the announcement to the Wright brothers’ first flight in 1903 — proof that a technological breakthrough is possible, though it may be years before it can fulfill its potential.

Explainer: “Ordinary computers store data and perform computations as a series of bits that are either 1 or 0. By contrast, a quantum computer uses qubits, which can be 1 and 0 at the same time, at least until they are measured,” writes our reporter Dennis Overbye.

Impact: Both China and the U.S. have made quantum computing a national priority, in part because it has the potential to make crucial encryption schemes obsolete.

E.U. looks set to extend Brexit to Jan. 31

European leaders, increasingly exhausted by the Brexit process, were confronted with the task of deciding on a third extension.

They were expected to settle on Jan. 31, the date set in British legislation that was passed recently. The bloc could announce its decision by the end of the week. As with previous extensions, this would likely be a “flextension,” meaning Britain could potentially depart sooner.

There was growing concern that even a three-month delay may not be enough to iron out problems.

Context: Despite the E.U.’s mounting frustration with the divorce negotiations, officials wanted to leave no opportunities for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to blame Brussels for the holdup.