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You got it right!

It resembles a GPU.
Actually you already have it's human-made brother on your PC.

The different is that while the GPU already have things optimized for a specific task (Graphics)... this stuff is specialized in building automatically and localy circuits for new specific tasks (like a GPU.

This means circuits will not need people to build something like a GPU... but for many different specialized tasks that will be optimized temporarily in hardware (circuit programming) to get a similar result.

Number-cracking is another specific task being introduced in our PCs... BUT they are general as they should be.

Now imagine the following scenario:
You have a cipher to crack (just an example)... you have millions of chips specialized in AES... any variation of AES will be a problem... you loose a lot of time to program a new chip...

You need to adapt your high-level programming, optimization, change circuits. Such solution exists for decades. But is expensive and local to certain services... OTHER services also have need of it... MORE available power is needed... And cheaper!

NOW you can have a cheap solution to be integrated in higher quantities... and easily ported to other different tasks. Naturally this as a lot of usages. Though not the common user needs who are already using GPUs. They are already using this thing (limited) in their PC's.

So this is not a new generation CPU, just the generalization of what exists in a cheaper way. Naturally this is a very powerful tool... specially (and this is the interest of it) because it will be cheaper and available in wider quantities.

The result of a more vast and/or increased use depends of the usage given to it... And the power of it increases the power of the way it is used. Personally, while I find it promising in some areas, its also scary on others. That's the usual mankind's problem: Power! and the lack of wisdom to only use it right.

Cheers.

P.S. - I did digress, sorry.
As I did I'll add a note to another user that sugested many valued good applications... and some bad and/or some that just seem silly:
The user mentioned Mind-Control... Well that's not so silly if we look from the right angle. For example: We do mind control all the time. Just ask a mind doctor... or an advertise maker... or a political campaign expert... or... You got the idea, so let's keep it simple.

The fact is that people are very limited to what is familiar to them... and since they are mostly familiar to what is GIVEN to them (ex. TV, NEWS) that is one problem that propaganda exploits. There are other problems, but this is not the place. Just consider that a fish in the water does not see it. And that a fairly intelligent person is easy to fool with it's own words and it's own limitations because their words are felt important and the limitations are not recognized. We also make our own waters... and churches/school/media show how fragile we are to the social environment that builds our believe system.

Best wishes.