Vectorization

Vectorization, in computer science, is a the process of converting an algorithm from a scalar implementatiom, which does an operation one pair of operands at a time, to a vector process where a single instruction can refer to a vector (series of adjacent values). Vector processing is a major feature of supercomputers since while there may be some overhead to starting up a vector operation, once it starts each individual operation is faster (in part because it avoids the need for instruction decoding).

One major research topics in computer science is the search for methods for automatic vectorization, seeking methods to have a compiler convert scalar to vectorized algorithm without human assistance.