diff --git a/blur.c b/blur.c
index b0349d5..8434e81 100644
--- a/blur.c
+++ b/blur.c
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ blur_image_surface (cairo_surface_t *surface, int radius)
     dst = (uint32_t*)cairo_image_surface_get_data (tmp);
     dst_stride = cairo_image_surface_get_stride (tmp);
 
-    blur_impl_naive(src, dst, width, height, src_stride, dst_stride, 10000);
+    //blur_impl_naive(src, dst, width, height, src_stride, dst_stride, 10000);
+    blur_impl_sse2(src, dst, width, height, 2.5);
 
     cairo_surface_destroy (tmp);
     cairo_surface_flush (surface);
diff --git a/blur.h b/blur.h
index 1c1eb7a..2a5f45c 100644
--- a/blur.h
+++ b/blur.h
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 
 void blur_image_surface (cairo_surface_t *surface, int radius);
 void blur_impl_naive(uint32_t* src, uint32_t* dst, int width, int height, int src_stride, int dst_stride, int radius);
+void blur_impl_sse2(uint32_t* src, uint32_t* dst, int width, int height, float sigma);
+void blur_impl_horizontal_pass_sse2(uint32_t *src, uint32_t *dst, float *kernel, int width, int height);
 
 #endif
 
diff --git a/blur_simd.c b/blur_simd.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2186cf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/blur_simd.c
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+/*
+ * vim:ts=4:sw=4:expandtab
+ *
+ * © 2016 Sebastian Frysztak 
+ *
+ * See LICENSE for licensing information
+ *
+ */
+
+#include "blur.h"
+#include <math.h>
+#include <xmmintrin.h>
+
+#define ALIGN16 __attribute__((aligned(16)))
+#define KERNEL_SIZE 7
+#define HALF_KERNEL KERNEL_SIZE / 2
+
+void blur_impl_sse2(uint32_t *src, uint32_t *dst, int width, int height, float sigma) {
+    // prepare kernel
+    float kernel[KERNEL_SIZE];
+    float coeff = 1.0 / sqrtf(2 * M_PI * sigma * sigma), sum = 0;
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < KERNEL_SIZE; i++) {
+        float x = HALF_KERNEL - i;
+        kernel[i] = coeff * expf(-x * x / (2.0 * sigma * sigma));
+        sum += kernel[i];
+    }
+
+    // normalize kernel
+    for (int i = 0; i < KERNEL_SIZE; i++)
+        kernel[i] /= sum;
+
+    // horizontal pass includes image transposition:
+    // instead of writing pixel src[x] to dst[x],
+    // we write it to transposed location.
+    // (to be exact: dst[height * current_column + current_row])
+    blur_impl_horizontal_pass_sse2(src, dst, kernel, width, height);
+    blur_impl_horizontal_pass_sse2(dst, src, kernel, height, width);
+}
+
+void blur_impl_horizontal_pass_sse2(uint32_t *src, uint32_t *dst, float *kernel, int width, int height) {
+    for (int row = 0; row < height; row++) {
+        // remember first and last pixel in a row
+        // (used to handle borders)
+        uint32_t firstPixel = *src;
+        uint32_t lastPixel = *(src + width - 1);
+
+        for (int column = 0; column < width; column++, src++) {
+            __m128i rgbaIn1, rgbaIn2;
+
+            // handle borders
+            int leftBorder = column < HALF_KERNEL;
+            int rightBorder = column + HALF_KERNEL >= width;
+            if (leftBorder || rightBorder) {
+                uint32_t rgbaIn[KERNEL_SIZE] ALIGN16;
+                int i = 0;
+                if (leftBorder) {
+                    // for kernel size 7x7 and column == 0, we have:
+                    // x x x P0 P1 P2 P3
+                    // first loop fills x's with P0, second one loads P{0..3}
+                    for (; i < HALF_KERNEL - column; i++)
+                        rgbaIn[i] = firstPixel;
+                    for (; i < KERNEL_SIZE; i++)
+                        rgbaIn[i] = *(src + i - HALF_KERNEL);
+                } else {
+                    for (; width < column; i++)
+                        rgbaIn[i] = *(src - i - HALF_KERNEL);
+                    for (; i < KERNEL_SIZE; i++)
+                        rgbaIn[i] = lastPixel;
+                }
+
+                rgbaIn1 = _mm_load_si128((__m128i *)(rgbaIn));
+                rgbaIn2 = _mm_load_si128((__m128i *)(rgbaIn + 4));
+            } else {
+                rgbaIn1 = _mm_loadu_si128((__m128i *)(src - 3));
+                rgbaIn2 = _mm_loadu_si128((__m128i *)(src + 1));
+            }
+
+            // unpack each pixel, convert to float,
+            // multiply by corresponding kernel value
+            // and add to accumulator
+            __m128i tmp;
+            __m128i zero = _mm_setzero_si128();
+            __m128 rgba_ps;
+            __m128 acc = _mm_setzero_ps();
+            int counter = 0;
+
+            tmp = _mm_unpacklo_epi8(rgbaIn1, zero);
+            rgba_ps = _mm_cvtepi32_ps(_mm_unpacklo_epi16(tmp, zero));
+            acc = _mm_add_ps(acc, _mm_mul_ps(rgba_ps, _mm_set1_ps(kernel[counter++])));
+            rgba_ps = _mm_cvtepi32_ps(_mm_unpackhi_epi16(tmp, zero));
+            acc = _mm_add_ps(acc, _mm_mul_ps(rgba_ps, _mm_set1_ps(kernel[counter++])));
+
+            tmp = _mm_unpackhi_epi8(rgbaIn1, zero);
+            rgba_ps = _mm_cvtepi32_ps(_mm_unpacklo_epi16(tmp, zero));
+            acc = _mm_add_ps(acc, _mm_mul_ps(rgba_ps, _mm_set1_ps(kernel[counter++])));
+            rgba_ps = _mm_cvtepi32_ps(_mm_unpackhi_epi16(tmp, zero));
+            acc = _mm_add_ps(acc, _mm_mul_ps(rgba_ps, _mm_set1_ps(kernel[counter++])));
+
+            tmp = _mm_unpacklo_epi8(rgbaIn2, zero);
+            rgba_ps = _mm_cvtepi32_ps(_mm_unpacklo_epi16(tmp, zero));
+            acc = _mm_add_ps(acc, _mm_mul_ps(rgba_ps, _mm_set1_ps(kernel[counter++])));
+            rgba_ps = _mm_cvtepi32_ps(_mm_unpackhi_epi16(tmp, zero));
+            acc = _mm_add_ps(acc, _mm_mul_ps(rgba_ps, _mm_set1_ps(kernel[counter++])));
+
+            tmp = _mm_unpackhi_epi8(rgbaIn2, zero);
+            rgba_ps = _mm_cvtepi32_ps(_mm_unpacklo_epi16(tmp, zero));
+            acc = _mm_add_ps(acc, _mm_mul_ps(rgba_ps, _mm_set1_ps(kernel[counter++])));
+
+            __m128i rgbaOut = _mm_cvtps_epi32(acc);
+            rgbaOut = _mm_packs_epi32(rgbaOut, zero);
+            rgbaOut = _mm_packus_epi16(rgbaOut, zero);
+            *(dst + height * column + row) = _mm_cvtsi128_si32(rgbaOut);
+        }
+    }
+}