On the other hand, special-purpose computers can be built to perform certain tasks very well but are not flexible. Reconfigurable computers make the best of both worlds, George said.

That is because they can rearrange their internal circuitry like Lego blocks, creating the most appropriate architecture for each assignment.

As a result, a reconfigurable computer can be from 10 to 100 times faster than other computers its size while using five to 10 times less energy.

Although the concept has been proven, reconfigurable computers remain at the research

stage and are not easy to use. One of the main goals of the NSF Centre is to pioneer

techniques to make reconfigurable computers more accessible.