Installation and Runtime Environment¶
Disclaimer: due to scarce hardware resources, this repository only tracks and supports the two environments listed below (A3 and A5). Other driver / CANN versions may work, but they are outside our CI and day-to-day validation, and issues against them will not be supported.
Supported Environments¶
A3 and A5 run different CANN releases (A3 on 9.0.0 community, A5 on 9.1.T500), and the NPU drivers are two separate releases as well. Pick the matching pair for your hardware below.
| Item | A3 | A5 |
|---|---|---|
| NPU driver | 26.0.rc1 | 25.6.rc1.b108 |
| CANN major version | 9.0.0 | 9.1.T500 |
How to Check Versions¶
Read the driver info from /usr/local/Ascend/driver/version.info on both
boxes (the file is written by the .run installer, does not depend on
npu-smi, and is readable on the A5 EVB even though npu-smi is
unavailable there):
cat /usr/local/Ascend/driver/version.info
# Fields of interest:
# Version=... ← driver version
# compatible_version=... ← compatible CANN version range
Installation Steps¶
1. Install Driver / Firmware / CANN (system-level, one-time)¶
Install order: driver → firmware → CANN. Refer to the official docs for the exact commands; this repository deliberately does not duplicate them (they drift across releases).
- Driver / firmware: pick the right
.runpackage for your hardware from the Ascend HDK software download page. - A3 direct download: Ascend HDK driver / firmware (A3)
- CANN: install the version that matches your hardware (A3 → 9.0.0 community, A5 → 9.1.T500). Both offline and online installs are available; this repository primarily uses the offline toolkit + standalone driver combination.
- A3 — follow the CANN 9.0.0 install guide — openEuler / netyum; direct download: CANN 9.0.0 Community Edition (A3).
- A5 — CANN 9.1.T500.
After installing the driver and firmware you typically need a reboot (or a
kernel-module reload). CANN, when installed to the default location,
creates a latest symlink under /usr/local/Ascend/ascend-toolkit/.
Once installed, use the commands in "How to Check Versions" above to
confirm version.info / version.cfg can be read back successfully.
2. Install This Repository¶
Follow the standard flow from getting-started.md — identical for A3 and A5: