Abstract: Improved performance is obtained in computers of the type having vector registers which communicate with one or more functional units and common memory. As elements of a vector are read from a vector register for transmission to common memory or as operands to a functional unit, the vector register immediately becomes available to receive and store elements of a vector from common memory or a functional unit. The element-by-element storing takes place simultaneously with the element-by-element reading, and trails the reading by at least one element so as to not overwrite elements yet to be read. Through the use of this technique a vector register can be loaded with a vector for a subsequent operation without having to wait for the completion of the previous operation which uses the same vector register.