Parallel Processor Systems can be classified in a number of ways:
Single Instruction Single Data (SISD)
- Single core processor
- Majority of older processors
- Can only execute sequential programs.
Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD)
- Array processing unit
- Modern processor cores
Multiple Instruction Single Data (MISD)
- Pipelined Processor
- Niche processor category
Multiple Instruction Multiple Data (MIMD)
- Multi core processor
- Modern processor packages
- Can have shared or distributed memory schemes