Installing and running the SPEC CPU®2026 benchmark suite on Android Systems

Contents

1. Review Prerequisites

2. Test Android Debug Bridge (adb)

3. Install the SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite on the host development machine

4. Build the SPEC CPU 2026 Android binaries on the host development machine

5. Copy the SPEC CPU 2026 software to the target Android device

6. Install the SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite on the target Android device

7. Run the SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite on the target Android device

This document describes how to install and run SPEC CPU®2026 benchmark suite on Android systems. SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark is a product of the SPEC® non-profit corporation (about SPEC).

Reminder: SPEC benchmarks are licensed software.

• If you have a license, you may install on multiple systems within your institution.
• You may not share the software with the public.

1. Review Prerequisites

Two different systems are required:

• the host development machine: will be used to build the benchmark binaries that will be copied to the Android device. This install guide assumes an x86 Linux machine in order to be compatible with android NDK build, but macOS or Windows should also work.
• the target Android device: the actual System Under Test (SUT) where the SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark will be run

Android Debug Bridge is required (see Test Android Debug Bridge section).

Review the System Requirements for the SUT. Please particularly notice the requirements for:

• Physical memory
• Disk space
• Familiarity with basic shell commands (such as ls, man, and mkdir)

As of early 2026, Android devices with 16 GB of memory and 128 GB of storage are able to run the SPEC CPU 2026 intrate suite with 1 or more copies.

2. Test Android Debug Bridge (adb)

Android Debug Bridge (adb) is required.

1. On the host development machine, install adb - using your usual package manager. For example, a Debian user might use:

   devhost ~ % apt-get install adb 

2. On the target Android device, enable adb - click in developer options, enable USB debugging

3. Physically connect the host development machine and the target Android device, for example via USB.

4. Test adb

   • On the host development machine, start the adb daemon and check that the target Android device is connected

     devhost ~ % adb devices
     * daemon not running; starting now at tcp:5037
     * daemon started successfully
     List of devices attached
     DEVICEID 

   • On the host development machine, open a remote shell on the target Android device

     devhost ~ % adb shell
     DEVICENAME $ # NOW YOU ARE EXECUTING COMMANDS ON THE TARGET ANDROID DEVICE
     DEVICENAME $ ls 

5. Check Android documentation: https://developer.android.com/tools/adb

3. Install the SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite on the host development machine

See the install guide for Linux/Unix: install-guide-unix.html

4. Build the SPEC CPU 2026 Android binaries on the host development machine

1. Download Android NDK on the host development machine: https://developer.android.com/ndk
   This install guide assumes that the host development machine is an x86 Linux machine.

2. On the host development machine, copy the example config file. Search it for all instances of "EDIT" and adjust as needed. In particular please take note and consider adjusting:

   • The compiler path
   • The destination for the binaries as specified in the output_root
   • The minimize_builddirs option. If you wish to keep the build artifacts other than the executables, remove that line.

   devhost ~/cpu2026 % cd config
   devhost ~/cpu2026/config % cp Example-android-ndk-aarch64.cfg android-ndk-aarch64.cfg
   devhost ~/cpu2026/config % vi android-ndk-aarch64.cfg # Search for all lines marked EDIT 

3. Build the SPEC CPU 2026 Android binaries using the SPEC CPU installation on the host development machine:

   devhost ~/cpu2026 % source shrc
   devhost ~/cpu2026 % runcpu --action=build --config=android-ndk-aarch64 --tune=base intrate 

   Expand example output

   SPEC CPU 2026 Benchmark Suites
   Copyright 1995-2026 Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC)
   
   runcpu (020914af)
   Using 'linux-x86_64' tools
   
   Loading runcpu modules.................
   Locating benchmarks...found 54 benchmarks in 82 benchsets.
   Reading config file '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1/config/android-ndk-aarch64.cfg'
   Running "specperl /home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1/bin/sysinfo -f" to gather system information.
   sysinfo: sysinfo 069f95da7e7f5d81b2ce48a82150e54f
   sysinfo: ...getting basic information about kernel, users, and limits
   sysinfo: Getting system information for Linux...
   sysinfo: ...getting CPU info
   sysinfo: ...getting info from numactl
   sysinfo: ...getting memory info
   sysinfo: ...getting info from systemd
   sysinfo: ...getting power info
   sysinfo: ...getting system tuning info
   sysinfo: ...getting OS info
   sysinfo: ...getting disk info
   sysinfo: ...getting info from /sys/devices/virtual/dmi/id
   sysinfo: ...getting info from dmidecode
   Retrieving flags file (/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1/config/flags/llvm.xml)...
   1 configuration selected:
   
   Action   Benchmarks
   ------   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
   build    intrate
   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   Benchmarks selected: 706.stockfish_r, 707.ntest_r, 708.sqlite_r, 710.omnetpp_r, 714.cpython_r, 721.gcc_r, 723.llvm_r, 727.cppcheck_r, 729.abc_r, 734.vpr_r, 735.gem5_r, 750.sealcrypto_r, 753.ns3_r, 777.zstd_r, 999.specrand_r
   Compiling Binaries
     Building 706.stockfish_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 16:52:20]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/706.stockfish_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 706.stockfish_r base android-ndk
     Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/706.stockfish_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 706.stockfish_r base android-ndk
     Building 707.ntest_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 16:52:25]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/707.ntest_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 707.ntest_r base android-ndk
     Building 708.sqlite_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 16:52:30]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/708.sqlite_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 708.sqlite_r base android-ndk
     Building 710.omnetpp_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 16:52:47]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/710.omnetpp_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 710.omnetpp_r base android-ndk
     Building 714.cpython_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 16:53:35]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/714.cpython_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 714.cpython_r base android-ndk
     Building 721.gcc_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 16:54:11]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/721.gcc_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 721.gcc_r base android-ndk
     Building 723.llvm_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 16:59:21]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/723.llvm_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 723.llvm_r base android-ndk
     Building 727.cppcheck_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 17:11:05]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/727.cppcheck_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 727.cppcheck_r base android-ndk
     Building 729.abc_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 17:14:15]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/729.abc_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 729.abc_r base android-ndk
     Building 734.vpr_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 17:16:19]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/734.vpr_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 734.vpr_r base android-ndk
     Building 735.gem5_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 17:17:52]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/735.gem5_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of735.gem5_r base android-ndk
     Building 750.sealcrypto_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 17:23:28]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/750.sealcrypto_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 750.sealcrypto_r base android-ndk
     Building 753.ns3_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 17:23:37]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/753.ns3_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 753.ns3_r base android-ndk
     Building 777.zstd_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 17:28:09]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/777.zstd_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 777.zstd_r base android-ndk
     Building 999.specrand_r base android-ndk: (build_base_android-ndk.0000) [2026-02-17 17:28:14]
      Clearing directory '/home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/999.specrand_r/build/build_base_android-ndk.0000' after successful build of 999.specrand_r base android-ndk
   
   Build successes for fprate: 706.stockfish_r(base), 707.ntest_r(base), 708.sqlite_r(base), 710.omnetpp_r(base), 714.cpython_r(base), 721.gcc_r(base), 723.llvm_r(base), 727.cppcheck_r(base), 729.abc_r(base), 734.vpr_r(base), 735.gem5_r(base), 750.sealcrypto_r(base), 753.ns3_r(base), 777.zstd_r(base), 999.specrand_r(base)
   Build errors for fprate: None
   
   Build Complete
   The log for this run is in /home/ajay/SPEC/CPUv8/cpu2026-0.902.1-android-ndk/result/CPU2026.001.log
   
   runcpu finished at 2026-02-17 17:28:17; 2160 total seconds elapsed
       

4. Check the content of the output_root directory named cpu2026-android-ndk on the host development machine:

   • $SPEC/cpu2026-android-ndk/result contains the log files
   • $SPEC/cpu2026-android-ndk/benchspec/CPU/*/exe contain the binaries

5. Copy the SPEC CPU 2026 software to the target Android device

The SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite can be installed from a tar file, as described in Appendix 2 of the Unix installation guide. That tar file will be used for the installation on the Android device.

1. On the host development machine terminal, open a remote shell to the target Android device and create a working directory on the target Android device:

   devhost ~ % adb shell
   DEVICENAME $ mkdir -p /data/local/tmp/spec 

2. On the host development machine, find your copy of the SPEC CPU 2026 tar file from your ISO image. For example, if you have mounted the ISO image at /mnt/ then you should find it at /mnt/install_archives/cpu2026.tar.xz.

3. Push the tar file to the working directory in the target Android device:

   devhost ~ % cd /mnt
   devhost /mnt % adb push install_archives/cpu2026.tar.xz /data/local/tmp/spec/ 

4. Push the Android-compatible specxz tool to the working directory in the target Android device:

   devhost /mnt % adb push tools/bin/linux-aarch64-static/specxz /data/local/tmp/spec/ 

5. Check the content of your working directory on the target Android device:

   devhost ~ % adb shell
   DEVICENAME $ ls /data/local/tmp/spec
   cpu2026.tar.xz
   specxz 

6. Install the SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite on the target Android device

1. Connect to the target Android device using adb and go to your working directory:

   devhost ~ % adb shell
   DEVICENAME $ cd /data/local/tmp/spec
   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec $
         

2. Extract the software from the SPEC CPU 2026 tar file on the target Android device:

   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec $ chmod u+x specxz
   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec $ mkdir cpu2026
   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec $ cd cpu2026
   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec $ ../specxz -dc ../cpu2026.tar.xz | tar xf -
         

3. Run the installer on the target Android device:

   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec/cpu2026 $ ./install.sh -u linux-aarch64-static
         

   Note: The toolset must be explicitly named. Running install.sh in auto mode will not find the Android-compatible tools.
4. Check the installation of the SPEC CPU 2026 suite on the target Android device:

   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec/cpu2026 $ source shrc
   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec/cpu2026 $ runcpu -V
         

7. Run the SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite on the target Android device

1. From the host development machine, push the SPEC CPU 2026 binaries stored in the output_root (in this example, named cpu2026-android-ndk) to the working directory on the target Android device:

   devhost ~ % adb push cpu2026-android-ndk /data/local/tmp/spec/ 

2. From the host development machine, push the android-ndk-aarch64.cfg config file used to build the binaries to the installed SPEC CPU directory on target Android device:

   devhost ~ % adb push cpu2026/config/android-ndk-aarch64.cfg  /data/local/tmp/spec/cpu2026/config/ 

3. On the target Android device, run the SPEC CPU 2026 benchmark suite:

   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec/cpu2026 $ source shrc
   DEVICENAME:/data/local/tmp/spec/cpu2026 $ runcpu --nobuild --config=android-ndk-aarch64 --copies=1 intrate 

   Notice above that it is suggested that you specify --nobuild because that will ensure that the runcpu command will exit immediately if it does not find your benchmark binaries. If that happens, check your paths and verify that the binaries are located where the config file expects to find them. For example, if the config file specifies output_root=X, then directories of the form X/benchspec/CPU/nnn.benchmark/exe/ should contain your binaries.

Installing SPEC CPU®2026 on Android Systems: Copyright © 2026 Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC®)