Storage operands and alignment

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The vector data types are 16 bytes in size, and must be aligned on a 16-byte (quadword) boundary.

All vector data types are 16 bytes in size, and must be aligned on a 16-byte (quadword) boundary. Aggregates containing vector types must follow normal conventions of aligning the aggregate to the requirement of its largest member. If an aggregate containing a vector type is packed, then there is no guarantee of 16-byte alignment of the vector type.

Table 1. Data Types
Contents New C/C++ Type
16 unsigned char vector unsigned char
16 signed char vector signed char
16 unsigned char vector bool char
8 unsigned short vector unsigned short
8 signed short vector signed short
8 unsigned short vector bool short
4 unsigned int vector unsigned int
4 signed int vector signed int
4 unsigned int vector bool int
4 float vector float