SDK CMake Quick Start

This guide teaches you how to write CMakeLists.txt for HPM SDK applications in 5 minutes. For detailed explanations, see SDK CMake User Guide. For the complete API reference, see SDK CMake API Reference.

Minimal Template 

Below is the minimal CMakeLists.txt for an HPM SDK application. Copy and use it directly:

# Copyright (c) 2026 HPMicro
# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)

find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})

project(my_app)

sdk_app_src(src/main.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Step by Step 

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)

Specifies the minimum CMake version. HPM SDK requires 3.13 or higher.

find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})

This is the most critical line. It loads the entire SDK build system, including:

Toolchain configuration (RISC-V GCC / Andes NDS / ZCC)
Board selection (specified via -DBOARD=<name> on the command line)
Build type configuration (-DHPM_BUILD_TYPE=<type>, see SDK CMake User Guide)
SDK core library (drivers, components, middleware)

Set the HPM_SDK_BASE environment variable before running cmake:

source hpm_sdk/env.sh  # Automatically sets HPM_SDK_BASE

Important

All SDK configuration variables must be set before find_package(hpm-sdk), including:

CONFIG_* — feature switches (e.g. CONFIG_FREERTOS, CONFIG_LWIP)

HEAP_SIZE / STACK_SIZE — heap and stack sizes

HPM_BUILD_TYPE — build type

CUSTOM_GCC_LINKER_FILE and similar custom variables

Setting these variables after find_package will have no effect.

project(my_app)

Defines the project name. Output files will be named accordingly (e.g., my_app.elf, my_app.bin).

sdk_app_src(src/main.c)

Adds source files to the application. Multiple files can be added at once:

sdk_app_src(src/main.c src/utils.c src/config.c)

API details: SDK CMake API Reference.

generate_ide_projects()

Generates IAR EWARM and SEGGER Embedded Studio project files. Must be the last line of every CMakeLists.txt. See SDK CMake User Guide for details.

CMake Extension Cheatsheet 

HPM SDK provides sdk_* CMake functions in two categories: application-level and SDK core-level. Full API list: SDK CMake API Reference.

Application-Level Functions 

Function	Description
`sdk_app_src(file ...)`	Add source files to the application. Relative paths are resolved against the current CMakeLists.txt directory.
`sdk_app_inc(dir ...)`	Add include directories to the application.
`sdk_app_src_glob(pattern ...)`	Add source files via glob patterns, e.g. `sdk_app_src_glob(src/*.c)`.

SDK Core-Level Functions 

Compile Options & Definitions 

Function	Description
`sdk_compile_options(opt ...)`	Add compiler options, e.g. `-Wall`, `-O2`.
`sdk_compile_definitions(def ...)`	Add preprocessor definitions, e.g. `DEBUG=1`, `ENABLE_FEATURE_X`.

Source Files & Include Directories 

Function	Description
`sdk_src(file ...)`	Add source files to the SDK core library (use for middleware/component development).
`sdk_inc(dir ...)`	Add include directories to the SDK core library (INTERFACE visibility).
`sdk_sys_inc(dir ...)`	Add system include directories (SYSTEM visibility, suppresses third-party warnings).

Linker 

Function	Description
`sdk_link_libraries(lib ...)`	Link libraries, e.g. `m` (math library), `libcustom.a`.
`sdk_ld_options(opt ...)`	Set linker options, e.g. `-Wl,--start-group`.
`sdk_linker_global_symbols(sym ...)`	Define global linker symbols (`--defsym`).

Feature-Gated Functions (`CONFIG_*`)

These functions take effect only when the corresponding CONFIG_* variable is enabled:

Function	Description
`sdk_src_ifdef(FEATURE file ...)`	Add source files only if `FEATURE` is enabled.
`sdk_src_ifndef(FEATURE file ...)`	Add source files only if `FEATURE` is disabled.
`sdk_inc_ifdef(FEATURE dir ...)`	Add include dir only if `FEATURE` is enabled.
`sdk_inc_ifndef(FEATURE dir ...)`	Add include dir only if `FEATURE` is disabled.
`sdk_compile_definitions_ifdef(FEATURE def ...)`	Add preprocessor definitions only if `FEATURE` is enabled.
`sdk_link_libraries_ifdef(FEATURE lib ...)`	Link libraries only if `FEATURE` is enabled.
`sdk_ld_options_ifdef(FEATURE opt ...)`	Set linker options only if `FEATURE` is enabled.
`sdk_src_glob_ifdef(FEATURE pattern ...)`	Glob source files only if `FEATURE` is enabled.

Common Patterns 

Pattern 1: Single-File Driver Sample 

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)
find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})
project(gpio_example)
sdk_app_src(src/gpio.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Pattern 2: Multiple Files + Include Directory 

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)
find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})
project(uart_demo)
sdk_inc(src)
sdk_app_src(src/uart.c src/protocol.c src/ringbuffer.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Pattern 3: Enabling SDK Middleware 

Set CONFIG_* variables before find_package(hpm-sdk). See SDK CMake User Guide for the full list of available CONFIG_* variables and feature modules:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)

set(CONFIG_FREERTOS 1)    # Enable FreeRTOS
set(CONFIG_LWIP 1)        # Enable LwIP
set(CONFIG_SDMMC 1)       # Enable SD/eMMC driver

find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})
project(network_app)
sdk_app_src(src/main.c src/tcp_server.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Common CONFIG_* variables:

CONFIG_FREERTOS — FreeRTOS
CONFIG_LWIP — LwIP networking stack
CONFIG_FATFS — FatFs filesystem
CONFIG_USB_DEVICE / CONFIG_USB_HOST — USB stack
CONFIG_LVGL — LVGL graphics library
CONFIG_SDMMC — SD/eMMC driver
CONFIG_LIBJPEG — libjpeg-turbo

Pattern 4: Compile Definitions 

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)
find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})
project(plic_example)
sdk_compile_definitions(-DUSE_S_MODE_IRQ=1)
sdk_app_src(src/plic.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Pattern 5: Heap/Stack Tuning 

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)
find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})
project(mem_intensive_app)
set(HEAP_SIZE 0x200000)   # 2MB heap
set(STACK_SIZE 0x20000)   # 128KB stack
sdk_app_src(src/main.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Pattern 6: Multicore (Core 0 + Core 1)

See SDK CMake User Guide for full multicore build instructions. Typical configuration:

Core 0 — builds normally with flash_xip, includes core 1’s firmware image:

if("${HPM_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "")
    SET(HPM_BUILD_TYPE flash_xip)
endif()
find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})
project(multicore_core0)
sdk_app_src(../../common/multicore_common.c)
sdk_app_src(src/demo.c src/sec_core_img.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Core 1 — builds as sec_core_img, output is converted to a C array for core 0:

set(HPM_BUILD_TYPE "sec_core_img")
set(SEC_CORE_IMG_C_ARRAY_OUTPUT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../core0/src/sec_core_img.c)
find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})
project(multicore_core1)
sdk_app_src(src/demo.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Pattern 7: Custom Linker Script 

See SDK CMake User Guide for detailed custom linker script configuration:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)
find_package(hpm-sdk REQUIRED HINTS $ENV{HPM_SDK_BASE})
project(custom_memory_map)
set(CUSTOM_GCC_LINKER_FILE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/custom_layout.ld)
set(CUSTOM_SES_LINKER_FILE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/custom_layout.icf)
sdk_app_src(src/main.c)
generate_ide_projects()

Key Variables 

Build System Variables (Command Line)

Variable	Description
`BOARD`	Required. Target board name, e.g. `hpm6200evk`. Set via `-DBOARD=hpm6200evk`. See Evaluation Boards for available boards.
`HPM_BUILD_TYPE`	Build type. Common values: `ram` (default, run in RAM), `flash_xip` (execute-in-place from Flash), `flash_sdram_xip` (Flash XIP + SDRAM), `sec_core_img` (secondary core image), `ram_debug` (RAM debug). See SDK CMake User Guide for details.
`GNURISCV_TOOLCHAIN_PATH`	Path to RISC-V GCC toolchain. Can also be set as an environment variable.

Application Variables 

Variable	Description
`CONFIG_*`	Enable/disable SDK feature modules. Set before `find_package(hpm-sdk)`. See SDK CMake User Guide for details.
`HEAP_SIZE`	Heap size in bytes. Default depends on SDK configuration.
`STACK_SIZE`	Stack size in bytes. Default depends on SDK configuration.
`CUSTOM_GCC_LINKER_FILE`	Path to custom GCC linker script.
`CUSTOM_SES_LINKER_FILE`	Path to custom SEGGER Embedded Studio linker config (`.icf`).

Build & Run 

# Set up environment
source hpm_sdk/env.sh
export GNURISCV_TOOLCHAIN_PATH=/path/to/riscv32-unknown-elf

# Build
cd samples/my_app
mkdir build && cd build
cmake -GNinja -DBOARD=hpm6200evk ..
ninja

# Output files in build/output/:
#   demo.elf  — ELF executable
#   demo.bin  — Binary firmware
#   demo.map  — Memory map file

For IDE project generation, flash programming, and debug configuration, see SDK CMake User Guide.

Next Steps 

SDK CMake User Guide — Full CMake user guide (workflows, multicore, IDE integration, troubleshooting)
SDK CMake API Reference — Complete SDK CMake function API reference
Getting Started — HPM SDK getting started guide