Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft are in a race to develop real-time search capabilities for Twitter and other microblogging services, Dow Jones reports.

The goal would be to give users search results that include posts mere seconds after they go live. With so much rapid growth occurring in the microblogging space, there's a newfound interest in real-time search based on its ability to drive online advertising to new heights.

Marketers could target relevant ads to consumers interested in breaking events, hot topics, or their favorite celebrities, Dow Jones adds. Some have suggested real-time data and search could develop into a billion-dollar market.