parallel processing

British  

noun

1. the performance by a computer system of two or more simultaneous operations

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parallel processing Cultural  

1. The use of many different computer processors to work on different parts of a problem simultaneously. This is one way of increasing the speed at which computers can work, with each processor working on a part of a larger problem. (Compare serial processing.)

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The SETI project recently introduced a parallel processing system that allows individuals to use their personal computers to analyze data and assist in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parallel processing

GPUs, with their parallel processing capabilities, could render vast swaths of pixels far better than central processing units, which can only carry out tasks sequentially.

From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026

The chips perform calculations by breaking large problems into thousands of simpler tasks that are processed simultaneously, through a method called parallel processing.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

"Such parallel processing in human brains has been hypothesized, but never observed before at a whole-brain level," Griffa summarizes.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 18, 2023

He invested Nvidia's resources in creating a tool to make GPUs programmable, thereby opening up their parallel processing capabilities for uses beyond graphics.

From BBC ● May 25, 2023

Obstacles such as huge-scale parallel processing, exaenergy consumption, reliability, memory and storage—along with a lack of software to start running on such supercomputers—stood in the way of those standards.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 9, 2023