Vector processor

A vector processor, or array processor, is a central processing unit (CPU) that implements an instruction set containing instructions that operate on one-dimensional arrays of data called vectors. This is in contrast to a scalar processor, whose instructions operate on single data items. The vast majority of CPUs are scalar[citation needed].

Vector processors first appeared in the 1970s, and formed the basis of most supercomputers through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Improvements in scalar processors, particularly microprocessors, resulted in the decline of traditional vector processors in supercomputers, and the appearance of vector processing techniques in mass market CPUs around the early 1990s. Today, most commodity CPUs implement architectures that feature instructions for some vector processing on multiple (vectorized) data sets, typically known as SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data). Common examples include MMX, SSE, and AltiVec. Vector processing techniques are also found in video game console hardware and graphics accelerators. In 2000, IBM, Toshiba and Sony collaborated to create the Cell processor, consisting of one scalar processor and eight vector processors, which found use in the Sony PlayStation 3 among other applications.

Other CPU designs may include some multiple instructions for vector processing on multiple (vectorised) data sets, typically known as MIMD (Multiple Instruction, Multiple Data). Such designs are usually dedicated to a particular application and not commonly marketed for general purpose computing.

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