# Install Platform SDK

The Platform SDK provides the drivers, firmware, and runtime libraries required
to run the compiled models on Cloud AI hardware. It must be installed on every
host that has Cloud AI cards physically attached.

Note

This page is for infrastructure engineers and system administrators responsible for hardware-attached hosts, kernel-mode driver (KMD) installation, and firmware management. ML engineers and application developers can typically skip this page unless they’re also responsible for managing host hardware.

## Preparation

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

unzip aic_platform.Core.<version>.Linux-AnyCPU.zip
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3. Go to the correct directory for your architecture:

cd <architecture>/<package-format>
        # Examples:
        # cd x86_64/deb    # Ubuntu/Debian on x86-64
        # cd x86_64/rpm    # RHEL on x86-64
        # cd aarch64/deb   # Ubuntu on ARM64
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## Uninstall previous version

If upgrading from a previous installation:

sudo ./uninstall.sh
    sync
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Important

Installation may take up to 30 minutes depending on the number of Cloud AI
cards. Cards undergo multiple resets during installation.

Note

Upgrading from a version earlier than 1.19? See
[Platform SDK Upgrade from Version &lt; 1.19](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-99100-3/topic/Installation_platform-sdk-upgrade-pre-1_19.html) for alternate installation instructions.

## Installation

sudo ./install.sh --auto_upgrade_sbl --ecc enable --setup_mdp all
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| Option | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `--auto_upgrade_sbl` | Upgrades the Secondary Boot Loader (SBL) firmware if the version does<br>not match the SDK. |
| `--ecc enable` | Enables Error Correcting Code (ECC) for device memory. Recommended<br>for production deployments. |
| `--setup_mdp all` | Enables Multi-Device Partitioning (MDP) on all devices, required for<br>multi-card tensor-slicing configurations. |

Note

For VMs on ESXi hypervisor, add `--datapath_polling` to install the
kernel module driver (KMD) in polling mode:

## Post-installation

**Verify installation directory**

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

/opt/qti-aic/
    ├── config/
    ├── dev/
    ├── examples/
    ├── exec/
    ├── firmware/
    ├── lib/
    ├── services/
    ├── test-data/
    ├── tools/
    └── versions/
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**Check SDK version**

/opt/qti-aic/tools/qaic-version-util --platform
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**Add user to qaic group** (run tools without sudo)

sudo usermod -aG qaic $USER
    newgrp qaic
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**Manage qmonitor service**

# Check status
    sudo systemctl is-active qmonitor-proxy
    
    # Stop/start service
    sudo /opt/qti-aic/scripts/qaic-monitor-service.sh stop
    sudo /opt/qti-aic/scripts/qaic-monitor-service.sh start
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### Next steps

- If you are upgrading from a Platform SDK version earlier than 1.19, see the [Platform SDK upgrade steps](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-99100-3/topic/Installation_platform-sdk-upgrade-pre-1_19.html#two-step-install).
- [Verify](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-99100-3/topic/verification.html) Cloud AI hardware and software functionality.

Last Published: Aug 25, 2026

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