# Install Apps SDK

The Apps SDK provides the compiler (`qaic-compile`) and development libraries
needed to compile models into QPC (Qualcomm Program Container) artifacts. It can
be installed on any Linux host, including systems without Cloud AI hardware.

Note

This page is for ML engineers and MLOps specialists setting up development environments, offline compilation hosts, or container images for model deployment. Infrastructure engineers only need this page if they’re also responsible for the model compilation or deployment workflow.

## Preparation

1. Copy the Apps SDK zip file to your host computer.
2. Extract the archive:

unzip aic_apps.Core.<version>.Linux-AnyCPU.zip
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3. Go to the correct directory:

cd <architecture>/<package-format>
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## Uninstall previous version

If upgrading from a previous installation:

sudo ./uninstall.sh
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## Installation

sudo ./install.sh
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## Installation with qaic-pytools

qaic-pytools is an optional Python package included with the Apps SDK that
provides additional model preparation and accuracy analysis tools. Install it
when you need to prepare models for compilation or evaluate model accuracy on
Cloud AI hardware.

Note

If the Apps SDK is already installed without qaic-pytools, uninstall it
first before proceeding:

sudo ./uninstall.sh
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To include qaic-pytools (requires Python 3.10), install build dependencies first:

*Debian/Ubuntu:*

sudo apt install build-essential cmake python3.10-dev python3-dev -y
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*RHEL/Fedora:*

sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools" -y
    sudo dnf install cmake python3.10-devel python3-devel -y
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Then install with pytools enabled:

sudo ./install.sh --enable-qaic-pytools
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## Post-installation

**Verify installation directory**

The SDK installs to `/opt/qti-aic/`:

/opt/qti-aic/
    ├── dev/
    ├── exec/
    ├── integrations/
    └── scripts/
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**Check SDK version**

cat /opt/qti-aic/versions/apps.xml
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**Set executable permissions**

sudo chmod a+x /opt/qti-aic/dev/hexagon_tools-*/bin/*
    sudo chmod a+x /opt/qti-aic/exec/*
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Continue to [Verification](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-99100-3/topic/verification.html#reference-to-verification).

Last Published: Aug 25, 2026

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