FROM the outside they look like any other normal household computer - but inside they have the power that researchers say could change all our lives forever.

University of Southampton is to benefit from a £12million investment in the latest computer technology.

Scientists say over the next few years it will aid in their search to find medical breakthroughs and life-saving drugs, to combatting aeroplane noise and help solve archaeological mysteries.

The funding will be spent on machines with the equivalent power of thousands of home computers.

Simon Cox, professor of computational methods and chief information officer at the university, said: “It is very exciting because those machines will enable us to improve people’s life and carry out very high level research.”

The flat metal boxes with the look of a home computer will be bought with funding awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research council (EPSRC) and will be based at Cambridge, Oxford and University College London.

Researchers from Southampton will use them through the internet, connecting to them in the same way people access social media.

Professor Cox explained: “With this computing power we can calculate how much fuel an aeroplane might take to cross the Atlantic or how much noise it might make.

“We can then explore how changes to the design might improve the fuel efficiency or make it quieter, which is really important if you live near an airport.

“We will also be able to understand what treatments might be most effective for controlling asthma.

"We can see where there may be patterns in the occurrence of asthma that can be linked to everyday life and then work on how to improve these.”

They will also bring together data from social media to understand what aspects need to be changed and will support archaeologists to bring together large data about archaeological sites or to understand what it would be like to be in an ancient Roman building.

Researchers from different departments and other organisations will work together using the equipment.

Professor Cox said: “We look forward to working with our partners in Science and Engineering South to carry out a research that can compete internationally and that will also have benefit on the UK economy.”

The university will benefit from those machines for the next four years roughly, until technology will move on again.