# Overview
Source: [https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/introduction.html](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/introduction.html)
The Qualcomm^®^ Intelligent Multimedia Product (QIMP) SDK is a collection of
four standalone function SDKs, namely, Qualcomm^®^ Intelligent Multimedia SDK (IM
SDK), Qualcomm^®^ Neural Processing SDK, Qualcomm^®^ AI Engine direct SDK,
and the TensorFlow Lite runtime. It also includes reference applications that you can use to
develop use cases.
This guide explains how to:
- Explore the inbuilt sample applications and command-line use cases.
- Create applications using the QIMP SDK workflow.
- Compile the Extensible SDK (eSDK) from source and upgrade function SDKs.
Get started
[QIMP SDK workflow](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/install-sdk.html)
[Download
and install eSDK](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/install-sdk.html#install-sdk__section_b5c_z3k_5bc)
Develop applications
[Develop your
first application](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/content-develop-your-first-application.html)
[Customize existing
sample applications](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/customize-sample-applications.html)
[Troubleshooting](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/troubleshooting.html)
Customize eSDK
[Build platform
image with QIMP layer](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/building-platform-image-with-qim-layer.html)
[Build a custom
eSDK](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/build-the-platfrom-esdk.html)
[Upgrade QIMP
SDK](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/incremental-qim-product-sdk-flash.html)
[Upgrade other
SDKs](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70015-51/topic/upgrade-individual-sdks.html)
Note: See [hardware SoCs](https://docs.qualcomm.com/bundle/publicresource/topics/80-70015-115/soc.html) that are supported
on Qualcomm^®^ Linux^®^.
## Architecture
The figure shows the various software components within the QIMP SDK.
Figure : QIMP SDK software stack
## QIMP SDK components
The QIMP SDK integrates specialized components called function SDKs, which are listed
as follows:
Table : Function SDKs in QIMP SDK
| Function SDK | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Qualcomm IM SDK | Provides Qualcomm hardware-accelerated Gstreamer‑based plugins for optimized application development. |
| Qualcomm Neural Processing SDK |
It is also known as Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine (SNPE)
It is a software‑accelerated runtime for executing deep neural networks.
SNPE offers tools to convert and quantize neural networks, and accelerate them on hardware accelerators including CPU, GPU, and Qualcomm® Hexagon™ Tensor Processor.
|
| Qualcomm AI Engine direct SDK |
It provides a unified Qualcomm Neural Network (QNN) API and tools to accelerate AI/ML models, use cases on Qualcomm chipsets and AI acceleration cores.
It provides a unified API and modular and extensible per-accelerator libraries, which form a reusable basis for full-stack AI solutions.
It supports runtimes such as Qualcomm Neural Processing SDK and TensorFlow Lite AI Engine direct delegate.
|
| TensorFlow Lite runtime | TensorFlow Lite is an open-source deep learning framework designed for on-device inference. QIMP includes delegates and tools from the compatible TensorFlow Lite package. |
## Sample applications
The QIMP SDK sample applications show how to use the SDKs and develop end-to-end edge
analytics use cases. For more information, see [Sample applications](https://docs.qualcomm.com/bundle/publicresource/topics/80-70015-50/example-applications.html).
## Qualcomm Linux distribution
Qualcomm Linux is a Linux distribution that supports the QIMP SDK. For more
information on Qualcomm Linux, see [Software Overview](https://docs.qualcomm.com/bundle/publicresource/topics/80-70015-252/qli-system-overview-2-grouptabs.html).
## Development kits
Development kits are Qualcomm reference devices built to support Qualcomm Linux. They
are used to develop and test software applications. A development kit includes
necessary hardware and interfaces such as sensors, inertial measurement units (IMU),
and other peripherals. These development kits can be used to test the capabilities
of Qualcomm Linux. For more information, see [Development Kits](https://docs.qualcomm.com/bundle/publicresource/topics/80-70015-115/dev-kits.html).
## Supported component versions
The current release of the QIMP SDK integrates the following components:
| Components | Version |
| --- | --- |
| Qualcomm Neural Processing SDK | 2.26.2.240911 |
| Qualcomm AI Engine direct SDK | 2.26.2.240911 |
| TensorFlow Lite Runtime | 2.16.1 |
| GStreamer | 1.20.7 |
## QIMP eSDK
The eSDK is a package generated from the Qualcomm Linux image. It is installed on an
Ubuntu host and provides a Yocto‑based environment that you can use for
application development.
The eSDK uses the [devtool](https://docs.yoctoproject.org/ref-manual/devtool-reference.html) mechanism of Yocto Project to
download, compile, and install reference applications and plugins.
The following figure shows the components of the QIMP eSDK.
Figure : QIMP eSDK
Last Published: Jan 23, 2026
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Getting started](https://docs.qualcomm.com/bundle/publicresource/80-70015-51/topics/install-sdk.md)