Run MobileSAM prompt segmentation on Arm Ethos-U85 with ExecuTorch
Introduction
Understand the MobileSAM deployment workflow
Prepare the ExecuTorch and Arm environment
Export MobileSAM for Ethos-U85
Build and run MobileSAM on the Corstone-320 FVP
Validate the MobileSAM segmentation result
Next Steps

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Check your development machine

Run the following preflight check before downloading the source:

    

        
        
case "$(uname -s)/$(uname -m)" in
  Linux/x86_64|Linux/aarch64|Linux/arm64|Darwin/arm64)
    echo "Supported host: $(uname -s)/$(uname -m)"
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Unsupported host: $(uname -s)/$(uname -m)" >&2
    exit 1
    ;;
esac

for tool in python3.12 git cmake c++; do
  command -v "$tool" >/dev/null || {
    echo "Missing required tool: $tool" >&2
    exit 1
  }
done

if ! command -v ninja >/dev/null && ! command -v make >/dev/null; then
  echo "Install Ninja or Make before continuing." >&2
  exit 1
fi

python3.12 --version
git --version
cmake --version | head -n 1
c++ --version | head -n 1

The check confirms that you are using a supported Linux host or Apple silicon Mac. It also checks for the availability of the following:

  • Python 3.12
  • Git
  • CMake
  • A host C++ compiler
  • Ninja or Make

Clone the ExecuTorch source

Clone ExecuTorch and initialize its submodules:

    

        
        
git clone https://github.com/pytorch/executorch.git
cd executorch
git checkout 4fd161058ebe2b9d80d11242a9d21811c0e92dac
git submodule sync
git submodule update --init --recursive

Run the remaining commands from the ExecuTorch repository root.

Create a Python environment

Create and activate a Python 3.12 virtual environment:

    

        
        
python3.12 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip

Install the current ExecuTorch checkout with its Ethos-U dependencies:

    

        
        
./install_executorch.sh --optional-dependency ethos_u
python -m pip install -r \
  examples/arm/mobilesam_prompt_segmentation_example_ethos_u/requirements.txt

Using the checkout’s installer keeps the Python package aligned with the example source.

Install the Arm development tools

Note

Before you run the Arm setup command on macOS, install Docker Desktop and follow the AVH FVPs on macOS install guide . Add the FVPs-on-Mac bin directory to PATH. The wrapper runs the Linux Corstone-320 FVP in a container. Confirm that Docker is running and that FVP_Corstone_SSE-320 resolves to the wrapper:

    

        
        
docker info >/dev/null
command -v FVP_Corstone_SSE-320

The Arm setup script installs the pinned GNU bare-metal toolchain, Ethos-U Vela compiler, and Corstone FVP used by the example. Read the End User License Agreements presented by the tooling before you accept them, then run:

    

        
        
./examples/arm/setup.sh --i-agree-to-the-contained-eula
source examples/arm/arm-scratch/setup_path.sh

Verify the environment

Confirm that Python imports ExecuTorch:

    

        
        
python -c "import executorch; print('ExecuTorch import succeeded')"

The output is similar to:

    

        
        ExecuTorch import succeeded

Check the target compiler and FVP:

    

        
        
arm-none-eabi-gcc -dumpmachine
command -v FVP_Corstone_SSE-320

The output of the first command is similar to:

    

        
        arm-none-eabi

The second command prints the path to the Corstone-320 FVP. On macOS, confirm that this path is inside the FVPs-on-Mac bin directory.

What you’ve accomplished and what’s next

You’ve installed the Python, compiler, Vela, and virtual-platform dependencies used by the example.

Next, you’ll prepare and export MobileSAM for Ethos-U85.

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