# Prerequisites

- Python 3.10 must be installed before running the SDK installers.
- Operating system (OS) requirements:

    - Linux Kernel 5.4 and later are supported.
    - The `install.sh` scripts for the Apps SDK and the Platform SDK automatically install the required OS packages. This option can be skipped by using the `--skip_depends` argument.
- Hardware requirements:

    - CPU - Server grade x86 or ARM multi-core CPU
    - Inferencing-only:

        - RAM - minimum 32GB (recommend 128GB or higher)
    - Model compilation:

        - RAM - minimum 512GB (recommend 768GB or higher)
        - Required for the compilation of large models and corresponding configurations like batch size, context length etc.
    - Storage - minimum 1TB (recommend 4TB)

        - Large storage is recommended to store multiple models (and associated artifacts), serialized engines etc.

The Cloud AI Platform SDK is compatible with the operating systems (OS) shown in the following table:

| **Operating systems** | **Kernel** |
| --- | --- |
| Ubuntu 22.04 | Default Kernel (GA or HWE) |
| Ubuntu 24.04 | Default Kernel (GA or HWE) |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.10 | Default Kernel |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 | Default Kernel |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Default Kernel |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | Default Kernel |

Note

- Arm is a trademark of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the US and elsewhere.
- Amazon Linux 2 support available only for x86-64 platforms.

## Check 32 MSI

The QAic kernel driver for Linux requires that 32 message signaled interrupts (MSI) are enabled in the UEFI/BIOS setup. The QAic kernel driver can function with a single MSI, but with reduced performance.  On x86-based host systems, Intel Virtualization (VT-d) or IOMMU features must be enabled in the BIOS to enable the required number of MSIs.

For host systems using Intel chipsets, ensure that VT-d is enabled in the BIOS. For host systems using AMD chipsets, ensure that the IOMMU feature is enabled in the BIOS.

Do the following to verify that 32 MSI are enabled and supported:

1. Find the device PCIe address.

> 
> 
> $ lspci | grep Qualcomm
>     Copy to clipboard

2. Inspect MSI capability.

> 
> 
> $ lspci -vvv -s <device_PCIe_address>
>     Copy to clipboard

3. Look for sections like the following where `Enable+` means MSI is active and `Count=32/32` means 32 interrupts are supported and enabled.

> 
> 
> Capabilities: [50] MSI: Enable+ Count=32/32 Maskable+ 64bit+
>     Copy to clipboard

If 32 MSI aren’t enabled, follow the manufacturer’s procedures for enabling it as this process varies by BIOS vendor.

## Next steps

- Refer to [Download SDKs](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-99100-3/topic/download-sdks.html#download-sdks) for download instructions.

Last Published: May 01, 2026

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