what does vector processing do?

Answer 1

"it exploits regularities in the structure of computation"

Answer 2

A vector processor, or array processor, is a CPU design that is able to run mathematical operations on multiple data elements simultaneously. This is in contrast to a scalar processor which handles one element at a time. The vast majority of CPUs are scalar (or close to it). Vector processors were common in the scientific computing area, where they formed the basis of most supercomputers through the 1980s and into the 1990s, but general increases in performance and processor design saw the near disappearance of the vector processor as a general-purpose CPU. IBM, Toshiba and Sony announced the Cell processor in 2000 which consists of one scalar processor and seven vector processors.

Today commodity CPU designs include some vector processing instructions, typically known as SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data), like SSE and AltiVec. Modern Video game consoles and consumer computer-graphics hardware in particular rely heavily on vector processors in their architecture.

Answer 3

Check it out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_processing