1. A system for processing data, comprising: (a) global memory means; (b) a plurality of datapaths, each datapath comprising: datapath processing means for executing instructions of an instruction sequence and for providing a plurality of memory request signal types in accordance with the instructions; local memory means; global port means for transferring data between the local memory means and the global memory means; and dual port means comprising first and second local port means for transferring data between the local memory means and the datapath processing means, wherein the first and second local port means permit simultaneous transfer of data between the local memory means and the datapath processing means; (c) data bus means coupled to the global memory means for transferring data to and from the global memory means; and (d) transfer controller means connected to the plurality of data paths and to the global memory means for controlling block transfer and scalar data transfers between the local memory means and the global memory means over the data bus means and for controlling arbitration among competing datapaths of the plurality of datapaths to gram to a selected datapath access to the data bus means in accordance with the memory request signal types generated by the datapaths of the plurality or datapaths; wherein; the datapath processing means comprises first and second scalar address registers and first and second scalar data registers; and one of the first and second scalar data registers of a datapath is loaded by the datapath processing means of the datapath via one of the first and second local memory port means of the datapath, and simultaneously the other one of the first and second scalar data registers of the datapath is read or written by the datapath processing means of the datapath via the other one of the first and second local memory port means of the datapath.