# Develop applications using the QIR SDK

This section describes two methods to develop an application using the QIR SDK, including:

- Compile a ROS 2 sample application using the QIR SDK toolchain.
- Develop your own pipeline using the APIs of the QIR SDK.

To develop your own application, you can also check out all the [APIs](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70030-265/topic/qir_sdk_api_list.html#qir-sdk-api-list) currently supported by Qualcomm Linux platforms.

Start your application development by exploring the file structure of the QIR SDK.

## QIR SDK file structure

The `QIR SDK` installation package provides not only a runtime package with an out-of-the-box experience but also a cross-compilation toolchain.
It's located in the `<decompressed_workspace>/target/<machine-name>/qirpsdk_artifacts/<machine-name>` directory.

For example, `qcs9075-iq-9075-evk` cross-compilation toolchain is located at:

<decompressed_workspace>/target/qcs9075-iq-9075-evk/qirpsdk_artifacts/qcs9075-iq-9075-evk
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Following is the directory structure and description of the toolchain:

tree qirp-sdk -L 1
    ├── runtime
    ├── setup.sh
    ├── sample-code
    └── toolchain
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| Name | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `runtime` | This directory contains the runtime environment necessary for running applications developed with the QIR SDK. It typically includes libraries and binaries that support the running of applications on the target platform. |
| `setup.sh` | This shell script sets up the development environment for the QIR SDK. Running this script configures the necessary environment variables and paths to ensure that the SDK's libraries are correctly accessible for application development and compilation. |
| `sample-code` | This directory houses example applications and code snippets. |
| `toolchain` | This directory contains the cross-compilation toolchain. The toolchain includes compilers, linkers, and other utilities required to build applications for the target platform. This toolchain enables developers to compile their applications on a development machine (host) for execution on the target device (target). |

## Next steps

- [Develop a sample ROS2 application](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70030-265/topic/develop_application_sample.html)
- [Develop a pipeline application](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70030-265/topic/develop_pipeline_application.html)
- [Explore the available APIs](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-70030-265/topic/qir_sdk_api_list.html)

Last Published: Jul 23, 2026

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