Datapath

A data path is a collection of functional units such as arithmetic logic units (ALUs) or multipliers that perform data processing operations, registers, and buses. Along with the control unit it composes the central processing unit (CPU). A larger data path can be made by joining more than one data paths using multiplexers.

A data path is the ALU, the set of registers, and the CPU's internal bus(es) that allow data to flow between them.

The simplest design for a CPU uses one common internal bus. Efficient addition requires a slightly more complicated three-internal-bus structure. Many relatively simple CPUs have a 2-read, 1-write register file connected to the 2 inputs and 1 output of the ALU.

During the late 1990s, there was growing research in the area of reconfigurable data paths—data paths that may be re-purposed at run-time using programmable fabric—as such designs may allow for more efficient processing as well as substantial power savings.