We present the solution of multilayer metamaterial (MM) structures containing large numbers of unit cells, such as split-ring resonators. Integral-equation formulations of scattering problems are solved iteratively by employing a parallel implementation of the multilevel fast multipole algorithm. Due to ill-conditioned nature of the problems, advanced preconditioning techniques are used to obtain rapid convergence in the iterative solutions. By constructing a sophisticated simulation environment, we accurately and efficiently investigate large and complicated MM structures. © 2007 IEEE.