Requirements#
Last update: 2026-08-03
Operating system
Our tools are mainly developed for Windows, but we also support macOS and certain Linux distributions. Still, not all of the nextnano software tools or license formats are available on every operating system. For more information about that, please refer to nextnano tool and license format availability on different operating systems.
We are continuously working to expand native support across additional operating systems. For currently available software packages by operating system, visit our download site.
CPU
Simulations can be CPU-intensive, so multi-core CPUs are advised. Our tools are mainly compiled for Intel processors. We are continuously working to expand native support across additional operating systems and processors. For information about currently available software packages, visit our download site.
Disk space
One needs around 1.5 GB of free disk space to install all our tools. The volume varies depending on the type of package and release.
Software dependencies
When working on Windows using nextnanomat, one also needs to have Latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable installed; Additionally the .NET Desktop Runtime is needed, if not present a pop-up should appear at first program start specifying the version needed. Optionally, one can install gnuplot, ParaView, or Python to take advantage of workflow integrations with these tool.
Summary
You can run simple examples even on laptops, but for research-grade simulation one should consider purchase a dedicated computer. We recommend a Windows PC with 64 GB RAM and recent CPU, or a Linux machine with comparable performance.
Note
Computers with 8 GB may be able to run only some input files and the calculation will become incredibly slow if there is not sufficient memory available. 16 GB of RAM is a reasonable minimum which may still require you to reduce the number of parallel threads used for the gain calculation. Heavier simulations should be run on a computer having at least 32 GB RAM.