Parallel

Updated: 06/30/2019 by Computer Hope
Two parallel lines

In computing, the term parallel describes tasks performed simultaneously, on separate hardware. For example, with a DSP (digital signal processor), a signal's samples can be divided into equally-sized units, each processed in parallel on separate processors or cores. The individual "chunks" of the signal can be joined together in a final step.

Note

The opposite of parallel access is serial, which is accessing or processing data one after the other.

Hardware terms, Parallel computer, Parallel execution, Parallel interface, Parallel port, Parallel printer, Parallel transmission, Serial