# GStreamer ML plugin and AI SDK APIs
Qualcomm Linux provides [Qualcomm® Intelligent Multimedia SDK (IM SDK) GStreamer plugin APIs](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70030-50/topic/qim-sdk-plugins.html)
to interface with Qualcomm AI Runtime SDK (QAIRT) APIs, to optimally run deep learning models on hardware modules such as neural processing unit (NPU),
graphics processing unit (GPU), and central processing unit (CPU).
The following software block diagram shows how AI applications can call Qualcomm IM SDK GStreamer Plugin APIs (`qtimlsnpe`, `qtimlqnn`, `qtimltflite`) to
interface with and access QAIRT APIs to use a specific hardware accelerator.
## GStreamer Plugin APIs
Three GStreamer ML plugin APIs support the QAIRT SDK and TFLite, which provides flexibility for you to choose the right combination for your needs.
| [Qualcomm IM SDK plugin for Qualcomm Neural Processing Engine (qtimlsnpe)](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70030-50/topic/qtimlsnpe.html) | Uses [Qualcomm AI Runtime](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-63442-10/topic/SNPE_general_api.html) APIs to load and execute models.
Choose this plugin for quick prototyping and high-level API support. |
| --- | --- |
| [Qualcomm IM SDK plugin for Qualcomm AI Engine Direct plugin (qtimlqnn)](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70030-50/topic/qtimlqnn.html) | Uses [Qualcomm AI Runtime](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-63442-10/topic/general_api.html) APIs, which provide low-level, unified API and improved performance to optimize and execute network models on the desired hardware accelerator.
Choose this plugin for advanced graph execution options and optimizations. |
| [Qualcomm IM SDK plugin for LiteRT (qtimltflite)](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70030-50/topic/qtimltflite.html) | Accelerates LiteRT models directly using [Qualcomm AI Runtime](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-63442-10/topic/index_QNN.html) APIs to load and execute models.
Choose this plugin to directly run LiteRT models, without conversion. |
## Qualcomm AI Runtime SDK APIs
Use the [QAIRT](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-63442-10/) APIs to develop AI applications. The C, C++, and Java APIs support heterogenous computing,
system-level configurations, and direct AI workloads to all accelerator cores. QAIRT provides low-level,
highly customizable APIs to target a specific accelerator core or delegate workloads from popular runtimes
including the LiteRT and ONNX runtimes.
Last Published: Jun 19, 2026
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