A supercomputer named Novo-G described by its lead designer as likely the most powerful computer of its kind in the world became operational this week at the University of Florida.

Novo-G gets the first part of its name from the Latin term for "make
anew, change, alter," and the second from "G" for "genesis." A
"reconfigurable" computer, it can rearrange its internal circuitry to
suit the task at hand. Applications range from space satellites to
research supercomputers -- anywhere  size, energy and high speed are
important, said Alan George, professor of electrical and computer
engineering and director of UF's National Science Foundation Center for
High-Performance Reconfigurable Computing.

Traditional computers use so-called "fixed logic devices" to perform a
large variety of tasks. But this jack-of-all-trades approach requires a
substantial amount of overhead in space and energy, no matter what work
needs to be done. 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 Center is to pioneer techniques to make reconfigurable computers
more accessible.

"It is very powerful technology, but it is also very complicated
technology," George said. "We don't want this important technology to be
accessible only to experts."

UF has three partner universities in its reconfigurable computing center
-- Brigham Young University, George Washington University and Virginia
Tech -- as well as about 30 industry and government.