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Unity Engine

Platform build support reference

Read time 5 minutesLast updated 10 days ago
When you build your project, Burst compiles your code and creates a single dynamic library in the 
Plugins
folder for the platform you're targeting. For example, on Windows, the path is 
Data/Plugins/lib_burst_generated.dll
.
Note
If your target platform is iOS, Unity instead generates a static library to meet Apple's submission requirements for TestFlight.
The job system runtime loads the generated library the first time a Burst compiled method is invoked.
To control Burst's AOT compilation, use the settings in the Burst AOT Settings section of the Project Settings window (Edit > Project Settings > Burst AOT Settings). For more information, refer to Burst AOT Settings reference.

Platforms without cross compilation

If you're compiling for a non-desktop platform, Burst compilation requires specific platform compilation tools (similar to IL2CPP). Desktop platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows) don't need external toolchain support.
The table below lists the level of support for AOT compilation on each platform. If you select an invalid target (one with missing tools, or unsupported), Unity doesn't use Burst compilation, but still builds the target without Burst optimizations.
Note
Burst supports cross-compilation between desktop platforms (macOS/Linux/Windows) by default.

Host Editor platform

Target Player platform

Supported CPU architectures

External toolchain requirements

WindowsWindowsx86 (SSE2, SSE4)
x64 (SSE2, SSE4, AVX, AVX2)		None
WindowsUniversal Windows Platformx86 (SSE2, SSE4)
x64 (SSE2, SSE4, AVX, AVX2)
ARM32 (Thumb2, Neon32)
ARMV8 AARCH64

Note: A UWP build always compiles all four targets.		Visual Studio 2017
Universal Windows Platform Development Workflow
C++ Universal Platform Tools
WindowsiOSARMV8 AARCH64Burst supports compilation for iOS from Windows. However, to build the resulting Xcode project, you need macOS with Xcode installed.
WindowstvOSARMV8 AARCH64Burst supports compilation for tvOS from Windows. However, to build the resulting Xcode project, you need macOS with Xcode installed.
WindowsvisionOSARMV8 AARCH64Burst supports compilation for visionOS from Windows. However, to build the resulting Xcode project, you need macOS with Xcode installed.
WindowsvisionOS SimulatorARMV8 AARCH64Burst supports compilation for visionOS Simulator from Windows. However, to build the resulting Xcode project, you need macOS with Xcode installed.
WindowsAndroidx86 SSE2
ARMV7 (Thumb2, Neon32)
ARMV8 AARCH64 (ARMV8A, ARMV8A_HALFFP, ARMV9A)		Android NDK

Important: Use the Android NDK that you install through Unity Hub (via Add Component). Burst falls back to the one that the 
ANDROID_NDK_ROOT
environment variable specifies if the Unity external tools settings aren't configured.
WindowsXbox Onex64 SSE4Microsoft GDK
WindowsXbox Seriesx64 AVX2Microsoft GDK
WindowsPlayStation 4x64 SSE4Minimum PS4 SDK version 8.00
WindowsPlayStation 5x64 AVX2Minimum PS5 SDK version 2.00
WindowsNintendo SwitchARMV8 AARCH64None
macOSmacOSx64 (SSE2, SSE4, AVX, AVX2), Apple SiliconNone
macOSiOSARMV8 AARCH64To build the resulting Xcode project, you need Xcode installed.
macOStvOSARMV8 AARCH64To build the resulting Xcode project, you need Xcode installed.
macOSvisionOSARMV8 AARCH64To build the resulting Xcode project, you need Xcode installed.
macOSvisionOS SimulatorARMV8 AARCH64To build the resulting Xcode project, you need Xcode installed.
macOSAndroidx86 SSE2
ARMV7 (Thumb2, Neon32)
ARMV8 AARCH64 (ARMV8A, ARMV8A_HALFFP, ARMV9A)		Android NDK

Important: Use the Android NDK that you install through Unity Hub (via Add Component). Burst falls back to the one that the 
ANDROID_NDK_ROOT
environment variable specifies if the Unity external tools settings aren't configured.
LinuxLinuxx64 (SSE2, SSE4, AVX, AVX2)None
LinuxiOSARMV8 AARCH64Burst supports compilation for iOS from Linux. However, to build the resulting Xcode project, you need macOS with Xcode installed.
LinuxtvOSARMV8 AARCH64Burst supports compilation for tvOS from Linux. However, to build the resulting Xcode project, you need macOS with Xcode installed.
LinuxvisionOSARMV8 AARCH64Burst supports compilation for visionOS from Linux. However, to build the resulting Xcode project, you need macOS with Xcode installed.
LinuxvisionOS SimulatorARMV8 AARCH64Burst supports compilation for visionOS Simulator from Linux. However, to build the resulting Xcode project, you need macOS with Xcode installed.
Note
The maximum target CPU is hardcoded per platform. For standalone builds that target desktop platforms (Windows/Linux/macOS) you can choose the supported targets via the Burst AOT Settings.

Unsupported project types

Some projects can't use Burst as the compiler:
  • Android projects from the Linux Editor.
  • Xcode projects generated from the Create Xcode Project option.

Multiple Burst targets

When Burst compiles multiple target platforms during a build, it has to perform separate compilations. For example, if you want to compile 
X64_SSE2
and 
X64_SSE4
, Burst has to do two separate compilations to generate code for each of the targets you choose.
To keep the combinations of targets to a minimum, Burst target platforms require multiple processor instruction sets underneath:
  • SSE4.2
    is gated on having 
    SSE4.2
    and 
    POPCNT
    instruction sets.
  • AVX2
    is gated on having 
    AVX2
    , 
    FMA
    , 
    F16C
    , 
    BMI1
    , and 
    BMI2
    instruction sets.
  • ARMV8A
    is a basic Armv8-A CPU target
  • ARMV8A_HALFFP
    is 
    ARMV8A
    plus the following extensions: 
    fullfp16
    , 
    dotprod
    , 
    crypto
    , 
    crc
    , 
    rdm
    , 
    lse
    . In practice, this means Cortex A75/A55 and later cores.
  • ARMV9A
    is 
    ARMV8A_HALFFP
    plus SVE2 support. In practice, this means Cortex X2/A710/A510 and later cores. Important: this target is currently experimental.

Dynamic dispatch based on runtime CPU features

For all 
x86
/
x64
CPU desktop platforms, as well as for 64-bit Arm on Android, Burst takes into account the CPU features available at runtime to dispatch jobs to different versions it compiles.
For 
x86
and 
x64
CPUs, Burst supports 
SSE2
and 
SSE4
instruction sets at runtime only.
For example, with dynamic CPU dispatch, if your CPU supports 
SSE3
and below, Burst selects 
SSE2
automatically.

Additional resources