Bitonic sort is a comparison-based sorting algorithm that can be run in parallel. It focuses on converting a random sequence of numbers into a bitonic sequence, one that monotonically increases, then decreases. Rotations of a bitonic sequence are also bitonic.
More specifically, bitonic sort can be modelled as a type of sorting network. The initial unsorted sequence enters through input pipes, where a series of comparators switch two entries to be in either increasing or decreasing order.