diff --git a/src/strategies/avx2/sao-avx2.c b/src/strategies/avx2/sao-avx2.c
index 8edb85e4..709c991f 100644
--- a/src/strategies/avx2/sao-avx2.c
+++ b/src/strategies/avx2/sao-avx2.c
@@ -148,12 +148,18 @@ int kvz_sao_edge_ddistortion_avx2(const kvz_pixel *orig_data, const kvz_pixel *r
 }
 
 
-/**
- * \param orig_data  Original pixel data. 64x64 for luma, 32x32 for chroma.
- * \param rec_data  Reconstructed pixel data. 64x64 for luma, 32x32 for chroma.
- * \param dir_offsets
- * \param is_chroma  0 for luma, 1 for chroma. Indicates
- */
+static INLINE void accum_count_eo_cat_avx2(__m256i*  __restrict v_diff_accum, __m256i* __restrict v_count, __m256i* __restrict v_cat, __m256i* __restrict v_diff, int eo_cat){
+        __m256i v_mask = _mm256_cmpeq_epi32(*v_cat, _mm256_set1_epi32(eo_cat));
+        *v_diff_accum = _mm256_add_epi32(*v_diff_accum, _mm256_and_si256(*v_diff, v_mask));
+        *v_count = _mm256_sub_epi32(*v_count, v_mask);
+}
+
+
+#define ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(EO_CAT, V_CAT) \
+  \
+  accum_count_eo_cat_avx2(&(v_diff_accum[ EO_CAT ]), &(v_count[ EO_CAT ]), &V_CAT , &v_diff, EO_CAT);
+
+
 void kvz_calc_sao_edge_dir_avx2(const kvz_pixel *orig_data, const kvz_pixel *rec_data,
                               int eo_class, int block_width, int block_height,
                               int cat_sum_cnt[2][NUM_SAO_EDGE_CATEGORIES])
@@ -161,22 +167,84 @@ void kvz_calc_sao_edge_dir_avx2(const kvz_pixel *orig_data, const kvz_pixel *rec
   int y, x;
   vector2d_t a_ofs = g_sao_edge_offsets[eo_class][0];
   vector2d_t b_ofs = g_sao_edge_offsets[eo_class][1];
-  // Arrays orig_data and rec_data are quarter size for chroma.
 
   // Don't sample the edge pixels because this function doesn't have access to
   // their neighbours.
+
+  __m256i v_diff_accum[NUM_SAO_EDGE_CATEGORIES] = { { 0 } };
+  __m256i v_count[NUM_SAO_EDGE_CATEGORIES] = { { 0 } };
+
   for (y = 1; y < block_height - 1; ++y) {
-    for (x = 1; x < block_width - 1; ++x) {
+
+    //Calculation for 8 pixels per round
+    for (x = 1; x < block_width - 8; x += 8) {
       const kvz_pixel *c_data = &rec_data[y * block_width + x];
-      kvz_pixel a = c_data[a_ofs.y * block_width + a_ofs.x];
-      kvz_pixel c = c_data[0];
-      kvz_pixel b = c_data[b_ofs.y * block_width + b_ofs.x];
 
-      int eo_cat = sao_calc_eo_cat(a, b, c);
+      __m128i v_c_data = _mm_loadl_epi64((__m128i* __restrict)c_data);
+      __m128i v_a = _mm_loadl_epi64((__m128i* __restrict)(&c_data[a_ofs.y * block_width + a_ofs.x]));
+      __m128i v_c = v_c_data;
+      __m128i v_b = _mm_loadl_epi64((__m128i* __restrict)(&c_data[b_ofs.y * block_width + b_ofs.x]));
 
-      cat_sum_cnt[0][eo_cat] += orig_data[y * block_width + x] - c;
-      cat_sum_cnt[1][eo_cat] += 1;
+      __m256i v_cat = _mm256_cvtepu8_epi32(sao_calc_eo_cat_avx2(&v_a, &v_b, &v_c));
+
+      __m256i v_diff = _mm256_cvtepu8_epi32(_mm_loadl_epi64((__m128i* __restrict)&(orig_data[y * block_width + x])));
+      v_diff = _mm256_sub_epi32(v_diff, _mm256_cvtepu8_epi32(v_c));
+
+      //Accumulate differences and occurrences for each category
+      ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT0, v_cat);
+      ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT1, v_cat);
+      ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT2, v_cat);
+      ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT3, v_cat);
+      ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT4, v_cat);
     }
+
+    //Handle last 6 pixels separately to prevent reading over boundary
+    const kvz_pixel *c_data = &rec_data[y * block_width + x];
+    __m128i v_c_data = load_6_pixels(c_data);
+    const kvz_pixel* a_ptr = &c_data[a_ofs.y * block_width + a_ofs.x];
+    const kvz_pixel* b_ptr = &c_data[b_ofs.y * block_width + b_ofs.x];
+    __m128i v_a = load_6_pixels(a_ptr);
+    __m128i v_c = v_c_data;
+    __m128i v_b = load_6_pixels(b_ptr);
+
+    __m256i v_cat = _mm256_cvtepu8_epi32(sao_calc_eo_cat_avx2(&v_a, &v_b, &v_c));
+
+    //Set the last two elements to a non-existing category to cause
+    //the accumulate-count macro to discard those values.
+    __m256i v_mask = _mm256_setr_epi32(0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, -1, -1);
+    v_cat = _mm256_or_si256(v_cat, v_mask);
+
+    const kvz_pixel* orig_ptr = &(orig_data[y * block_width + x]);
+    __m256i v_diff = _mm256_cvtepu8_epi32(load_6_pixels(orig_ptr));
+    v_diff = _mm256_sub_epi32(v_diff, _mm256_cvtepu8_epi32(v_c));
+
+    //Accumulate differences and occurrences for each category
+    ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT0, v_cat);
+    ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT1, v_cat);
+    ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT2, v_cat);
+    ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT3, v_cat);
+    ACCUM_COUNT_EO_CAT_AVX2(SAO_EO_CAT4, v_cat);
+  }
+
+  for (int eo_cat = 0; eo_cat < NUM_SAO_EDGE_CATEGORIES; ++eo_cat) {
+    int accum = 0;
+    int count = 0;
+
+    //Full horizontal sum of accumulated values
+    v_diff_accum[eo_cat] = _mm256_add_epi32(v_diff_accum[eo_cat], _mm256_castsi128_si256(_mm256_extracti128_si256(v_diff_accum[eo_cat], 1)));
+    v_diff_accum[eo_cat] = _mm256_add_epi32(v_diff_accum[eo_cat], _mm256_shuffle_epi32(v_diff_accum[eo_cat], KVZ_PERMUTE(2, 3, 0, 1)));
+    v_diff_accum[eo_cat] = _mm256_add_epi32(v_diff_accum[eo_cat], _mm256_shuffle_epi32(v_diff_accum[eo_cat], KVZ_PERMUTE(1, 0, 1, 0)));
+    accum += _mm_cvtsi128_si32(_mm256_castsi256_si128(v_diff_accum[eo_cat]));
+
+    //Full horizontal sum of accumulated values
+    v_count[eo_cat] = _mm256_add_epi32(v_count[eo_cat], _mm256_castsi128_si256(_mm256_extracti128_si256(v_count[eo_cat], 1)));
+    v_count[eo_cat] = _mm256_add_epi32(v_count[eo_cat], _mm256_shuffle_epi32(v_count[eo_cat], KVZ_PERMUTE(2, 3, 0, 1)));
+    v_count[eo_cat] = _mm256_add_epi32(v_count[eo_cat], _mm256_shuffle_epi32(v_count[eo_cat], KVZ_PERMUTE(1, 0, 1, 0)));
+    count += _mm_cvtsi128_si32(_mm256_castsi256_si128(v_count[eo_cat]));
+
+    cat_sum_cnt[0][eo_cat] += accum;
+    cat_sum_cnt[1][eo_cat] += count; 
+
   }
 }