The digitally controlled potentiometers are implemented with a combination of resistor elements and CMOS switches. The position of the wipers are controlled by the user through the SPI serial interface. Each potentiometer has an associated volatile Wiper Register (WR) and a non-volatile Initial Value Register (IVR) that can be directly written to and read by the user. The contents of the WR controls the position of the wiper. At power-up the device recalls the contents of the DCP's IVR to the corresponding WR. The DCPs can be used as three-terminal potentiometers or as two-terminal variable resistors in a wide variety of applications including control, parameter adjustments, and signal processing.