Patent ID: 7376811

Claim:
A data processing system, comprising: a plurality of functional units having respective inputs and outputs, and adapted to perform respective tasks using input data at the respective inputs and to supply output data at the respective outputs, within a cycle; a plurality of routing units, responsive to respective routing control signals, by which data is steered among inputs and outputs of the plurality of functional units, routing units in the plurality of routing units being coupled to respective subsets of functional units in the plurality of functional units, wherein at least one of said respective subsets is different than another of said respective subsets; and control word distribution circuitry which supplies the routing control signals in parallel to the plurality of routing units to establish a route for a cycle, where the route includes applying data output in the cycle by a first functional unit in the plurality of functional units as input in the cycle to a second functional unit in the plurality of functional units, and applying data output by the second functional unit in the cycle as input in the cycle to a third functional unit in the cycle.