Data Path

Data path is a place in the CPU where the data is being manipulated. The registers, the ALU, and the interconnecting bus are collectively referred to as the data path. Data paths, along with a control unit, make up the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer system. As the data travels to the different parts of the data path, the control unit issues control signals to the data path that causes the data to be manipulated in specific ways, according to the instruction.

The process of running two operands through ALU and storing the result in called the data path cycle and is the heart of most CPU. To a considerable extent, it defines what the machine can do. The faster the data path cycle is, the faster the machine runs.