Configure your Google Cloud Axion Arm64 environment

In this step, you’ll configure your Google Cloud Axion Arm64 instance with the system packages and Python environment required to build and run the Arcee Foundation Model using Llama.cpp.

Update package lists

Run the following command to update your local APT package index:

    

        
        
sudo apt-get update

    

This ensures you have the most recent metadata about available packages, versions, and dependencies, helping to prevent conflicts when installing new software.

Install build tools and Python dependencies

Install the required build tools and Python environment:

    

        
        
sudo apt-get install cmake gcc g++ git python3 python3-pip python3-virtualenv libcurl4-openssl-dev unzip -y

    

This command installs the following:

• CMake: build system generator used to compile Llama.cpp
• GCC and G++: GNU C and C++ compilers for native code
• Git: version control system for cloning repositories
• Python 3: Python interpreter for running tools and scripts
• Pip: Python package manager
• Virtualenv: tool for creating isolated Python environments
• libcurl4-openssl-dev: development files for the curl HTTP library
• Unzip: utility to extract .zip files

The -y flag automatically approves the installation of all packages without prompting.

Verify environment setup

After completing these steps, your instance includes:

• A complete C/C++ development environment for building Llama.cpp
• Python 3, pip, and virtualenv for managing Python tools
• Git for cloning repositories
• All required dependencies for compiling optimized Arm64 binaries

You’re now ready to build Llama.cpp and download the Arcee Foundation Model.