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.

Efficient addition requires a slightly more complicated three-internal-bus structure.

[3] 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.

[4] A finite-state machine with data path (FSMD) is a mathematical abstraction which combines a finite-state machine, which controls the program flow, with a data path.