Parallel processing is information processing that uses more than one computer processor simultaneously to perform work on a problem. This should not be confused with multitasking, in which many tasks are performed on a single processor by continuously switching between them, a common practice on serial machines. Computers that are designed for parallel processing are called parallel processors or parallel machines. Many parallel processors can also be described as supercomputers, a more general term applied to the class of computer systems that is most powerful at any given time.

The need to coordinate the work of the individual processors makes parallel processing more complex than processing with a single processor. The processing resources available must be assigned efficiently, and the processors may need to share information as the work progresses. Parallel processors are used for problems that are computationally intensive, that is, they require...